Jim DeRogatis Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the year the Beatles arrived in America, Jim DeRogatis began voicing his opinions about popular music shortly thereafter. He is an associate professor of instruction in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago, and together with Greg Kot, he co-hosts Sound Opinions, a weekly show about music syndicated nationally on public radio and via podcast. DeRogatis spent fifteen years as the rock critic at The Chicago Sun-Times and is the author of several books about music, including Let It Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, America’s Greatest Rock Critic; and his latest, Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly. DeRogatis has played in punk-rock bands since age thirteen but jokes that he is a drummer, not a musician. He lives on the Northwest Side of Chicago with his wife, Carmel Carrillo.

The Beacon Award honors a leader whose published work has highlighted the issue facing women and girls in the Chicago region and enabled their voices to be heard.