After 16 years of service, Brenda Gaines recently retired as President and CEO of Diners Club North America, a member of Citigroup. During the last five years of her tenure, Gaines was responsible for leading this key franchise in the global 29 billion-dollar Citigroup Diners Club International Payment Systems Brand. She served on the Diners Club International Global Board and formerly, the Citibank Canada Board of Directors. Gaines has held a number of positions with Diners Club and Citigroup, including Executive Vice President of Corporate Card Sales, Senior Vice President, Government Business for Diners Club and Senior Vice President, Residential Lending for Citibank, FSB.

Prior to joining Citibank, Gaines served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Chicago's Mayor Harold Washington. She was responsible for the implementation of mayoral initiatives, development of policies and goals and co-management of the daily operations of the City's 42 operating departments. She also served as commissioner of the Department of Housing for the City of Chicago, and held a series of increasingly responsible positions at the regional level for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Gaines received her B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her M.P.A. from Roosevelt University, Chicago.

Gaines serves on the Board of Directors for Office Depot, Inc. and CNA Financial Corporation. She also serves on the Board of the March of Dimes, the Committee of 200 Foundation, Economic Club of Chicago and the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors. Gaines is a member of The Committee of 200, The Chicago Network and the Executive Leadership Council. She serves as a mentor for MENTTIUM 100SM and until her retirement, served on the Board of Trustees for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, World Business Chicago and the Executive Committee of Junior Achievement.

Gaines has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Citicorp Service Excellence Award, the 1995 Black Achievers in Industry Award, the 1996 Urban Bankers Forum Pioneer Award, and was recognized by Travel Agent magazine as one of the "Most Powerful Women In the Travel Industry." She received the "1999 Volunteer of Year" Award from the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago and the Anti-Defamation League honored her with the "Woman of Achievement" Award. In 2002, Fortune magazine recognized Gaines as one of "The Most Powerful Black Executives in America" and Black Enterprise magazine included her as one of the "Top Fifty Blacks in Corporate America" article. In 2003, the New York Times featured Gaines in "The Boss" column. In 2004, Ebony magazine named Gaines in "15 at the Top In Corporate America" and Crain's Chicago Business recognized her as "100 Most Influential Women". Gaines was also honored by her alma mater, Roosevelt University with the "Otto Wirth Award" for Lifetime Achievement and most recently was honored with the Women's Foodservice Forum's 2004 Trailblazer Award.

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