As an Impact-Driven Founder and Philanthropic Leader, Connie Falcone thrives at the intersection of altruism and societal engagement. Her 30+ year career has focused on creating opportunities that fuel growth and foster upward mobility for under-resourced individuals and communities. On a mission to amplify that impact, she is focusing on the transformative power of sports to lead substantial change at scale.

In 2023, she founded Firefly Group, a sports advisory that connects professional athletes who have an authentic desire to make a difference with value-aligned nonprofits leading the work in the communities each athlete identifies with. Firefly Group acts as a catalyst for change, creating purpose-driven partnerships that successfully channel resources and opportunities to those who need them most.

Falcone has committed her career to developing lasting connections to drive sustainable transformation. In addition to serving as a trusted advisor to professional athletes looking to extend their impact like super stars John Lester, Anthony Rizzo and Joe Maddon, she has successfully led the Foundations of some of the largest entities in healthcare and sports in the Midwest, while driving multi-million dollar initiatives to better neighborhoods throughout the Chicagoland area and beyond.

Innovatively engaging the community, Falcone’s events like “The Soccer Ball” generated nearly half a million dollars for Chicago’s Urban Initiatives. As a community game-changer, she led Cubs Charities to donate $18 million to the community via grants and direct community investments. Beyond fundraising, she led tangible improvements such as the construction and renovation of numerous baseball fields through the Cubs Charities Diamond Project. And her dedication to youth development was highlighted by her work with Northwestern Medicine Scholars, a healthcare career pipeline program in conjunction with George Westinghouse College Prep in Chicago’s East Garfield Park. 

As President of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare’s philanthropic foundation, she ushered in a disciplined approach to healthcare philanthropy, garnering her a spot on Crain’s 2019 Notable Women in Healthcare list. And her tenure as Executive Director for Cubs Charities at the Chicago Cubs was marked by her success leading strategic giving initiatives, earning her the Cubs All-Associate Award twice.

Her ability to mobilize support and inspire collective action extends to her longstanding affiliation with Urban Initiatives, a youth sports development program for children in Chicago’s underserved communities. As a vital Advisory Board Member and former Director of Development and Finance, she has been instrumental in raising funds and expanding the organization’s reach into more Chicago public schools.

Falcone has established a career track record of channeling a passion for community development into actionable change, and as a Fellow at the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative, she’s not done yet. Informed by an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a JD from the University of Notre Dame Law School, and an English degree from Colorado College, Falcone seamlessly transitions these principles into impact.

Falcone is an inimitable and luminous leader, passionately working to create a better world through sports. With her tireless dedication and strategic acumen, she stands poised to drive her mission forward, fulfilling her vision of sustainable community enhancement and a better livelihood for all.