One year from opening, the Ann McIlrath Drake Executive Center takes shape
As the sun rose over Lake Michigan, marking the start of another academic year, the Kellogg campus stood illuminated with the prospect of what’s to come. Fully encased in glass — sealed so that interior work can continue this winter — the Ann McIlrath Drake Executive Center sits one year from completion.
What began with a groundbreaking ceremony on May 14, 2025, construction has progressed through numerous phases over the past 16 months. When the new building opens its doors in fall 2027, it will stand as more than an architectural achievement. The state-of-the-art facility will represent the combined vision and generosity of leaders who understand that transformative spaces create transformative experiences.
Named for Ann McIlrath Drake ’ 84 MBA (’25, ’25 GP) in recognition of her significant philanthropic support, the center has been purposefully designed to spark connection, collaboration and the kind of cohort experiences that define Kellogg. Each interior and exterior space has been crafted to bring students together, support high-impact learning and foster the collaborations that power personal and professional growth. Earlier this year, several additional visionary donors were recognized for making lead gifts instrumental to bringing this ambitious project to life.
Designed to connect
As Northwestern University celebrates its 175th year, the Ann Drake Center represents a new way of learning and leading — one where technology-enabled classrooms seamlessly integrate in-person and virtual experiences, where Executive MBA and Executive Education programs have a dedicated home and where all Kellogg students can engage with a global network of peers and practitioners.
“This project realizes a dream of mine to advance how we study, support, and inspire leadership everywhere, and especially women’s leadership,” says Drake. “I think good leaders matter, because good leaders and inspired leadership help make the world a better place.”
The building marks the latest in architectural achievement by Kohn Pedersen Fox, as the firm reimagined what a collaborative learning environment can be. For example, the Global Classroom, a 360-degree space that can also be set up as two semi-circular rooms, will bring up to 180 students — from across continents — together in a highly connected way.
Each classroom within the new building will feature large digital displays for instructional content and screens to bring students who have joined remotely seamlessly into the classroom setting. Intelligent cameras at the back and sides of each room automatically track who is talking, and built-in ceiling microphones and speakers will allow participants to hear each other effortlessly.
These technology gains will further allow students to master the ability to influence teams, strengthen productivity and inspire loyalty as Kellogg helps develop the creative and innovative mindsets that allow leaders to look at a challenge and see opportunity.
Adjacent to the Global Classroom, the Knowledge Corridor serves as an arterial passageway between the Ann Drake Center and the Global Hub. Since opening in 2017, the Hub has served as the inspiring home to one of the best business schools in the nation.
From the Hub, down the Knowledge Corridor, a suite of production studios within the lower level of the Ann Drake Center provides a professional media environment for virtual teaching, podcasting and more. The live-sync studio is the flagship space within the production wing and introduces a first for university teaching environments: a fully immersive 360-degree LED display. This enables faculty to feel as though they are teaching to an in-person class, even when students are located thousands of miles away, helping to maintain the level of engagement that can often be lost through online or remote teaching methods.
The nearby video production space is a highly adaptable room featuring a green screen, large LED display and sufficient space to introduce physical set elements. It represents a significant enhancement to production capabilities at Kellogg and, with three cinema-grade cameras, will enable the creation of teaching content at the highest standard.
A gateway to excellence
Throughout 2026, visitors to the Hub have likely noticed the growth of the Ann Drake Center in real time. During the next 12 months, the seven-story building will be outfitted with multiple dining halls and 160 guest rooms for program participants.
A beautiful greenspace will serve to bring the Kellogg community together while providing a peaceful space with stunning vistas of the Global Hub, Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. At the south end of the building, the upper-level Executive Club will have direct access to an elevated outdoor terrace overlooking the campus and lake. The club will bring Executive Education and EMBA students and alumni together in a networking space that will also host business and campus leaders.
As the centerpiece of the school’s Full Circle Campaign, an ambitious $600 million fundraising initiative designed to transform business education, the Ann Drake Center positions Kellogg as a trailblazer in hybrid education models, creating an environment where participants from around the world can fully engage as teachers and learners. The tech-forward approach intentionally lays the groundwork for future initiatives to support program and curriculum development; interdisciplinary research; access to global Kellogg experiences for all students and leadership events and programs.