KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Jeff Joniak
Chicago Bears radio voice Jeff Joniak sits down with Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher to explore what it truly means to be built to win. Drawing from a career defined by preparation, discipline, and relentless consistency, Urlacher shares the leadership principles that sustained championship-level performance.
Through candid stories and real-world lessons, the conversation examines how elite teams prepare for defining moments, build trust and accountability, and perform under pressure. With Chicago pride and executive-level insight, this session connects the mindset of a champion to the demands of modern organizations — inspiring attendees to raise their standards, commit to excellence, and lead with confidence.
Speaker Bio
One of the energetic and exciting broadcast voices of the National Football League, Jeff Joniak enters his 26th season as the play-by-play announcer of the Chicago Bears, his 30th season involved in the game day radio broadcasts, and his 41st year of sports broadcasting in Chicago.
Entering his fourth season on the radio flagship home of the Bears, ESPN Chicago, Joniak is joined by Super Bowl winning Bear Tom Thayer, and former Bears fullback Jason McKie. Currently, Joniak hosts “The Bears ETC.” podcast for the Chicago Bears and the “Bears Weekly Radio” each week on ESPN Chicago.
On game days, Jeff co-hosts Bears-produced television shows, “Bears Game Day Live” and “Bears Game Night Live” on Fox, while also conducting post-game interviews on Marquee Sports Network Chicago Bears programming during the season. Since 2024, Joniak has been the play-by-play announcer of the Senior Bowl on Sirius XM’s NFL Radio.
From 1997-2022, Joniak hosted the Chicago Bears game day broadcasts on WMAQ and WBBM Radio, while serving as Director of Sports Operations, reporter, and sports anchor earning multiple awards over the years.
Throughout the year, Jeff emcees a number of charitable events, and special appearances for various companies. He is a board member for the Chicago Chapter of the National Football Foundation, and has emceed its Scholarship Awards ceremony for nearly 20 years. His work includes hosting the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award ceremony for the Bears and the annual Chicago Bears Care Gala.
Joniak was selected by the NSMA as the 2022 Illinois Sportscaster of the Year and named to the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 2019. A six-time winner of the Peter Lisagor Award, Joniak also was named the winner of the 2022 INBA Crystal Mic Award. Joniak earned multiple Associated Press “Best Sports Reporting” awards and earned the Silver Dome Award for “Best Play-by-Play” in 2006, and in 2013 and 2022 as “Best Sportscaster”. He was the winner of the RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Awards in 2007, 2009, and 2013. Jeff has also earned Chicago Midwest Emmy Awards for Bears television shows in 2009 and 2012.
Before joining the Chicago Bears media crew, Jeff co-hosted the game day broadcasts for the Chicago Bulls, during their championship years from 1991-1996. His first broadcasting job was at Sports Phone in Chicago, followed by stops at the Tribune Radio Network, Illinois News Network, CLTV, and Metro Networks where he started the sports department. It was at the old WMAQ Radio that Jeff became Sports Director, worked on Bulls broadcasts, anchored morning drive, and started with the Bears as the co-host of pre-game and post-game shows.
He is a 1980 graduate of Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, where he’s been named one of the school’s Distinguished Alumni and a 1984 Broadcast Journalism graduate of Iowa State University.
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