Our people and partners
Elevated Chicago’s work is guided, implemented and evaluated by a Steering Committee, supported by staff, informed by Working Groups, Community Tables and a Leadership Council, and funded by philanthropy and by public, private and civic organizations.
Steering Committee
Jacky Grimshaw
Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT)
Vice President of Government Affairs
Kate McMahon
Chicago Dept. of Public Health
Policy Director
Traci Sanders
Enterprise Community Partners
Director, Chicago Market
Lissette Castaneda
LUCHA
Executive Director
Kevin Sutton
Foundation for Homan Square
Executive Director
Mike Tomas
Garfield Park Community Council
Executive Director
Vickie Battle
IFF
Executive Director, Chicago Region
Chandra Christmas-Rouse
Metropolitan Planning Council
Equitable and Sustainable Community Manager
Christian Diaz
Palenque LSNA
Director of Housing
BJ Stewart
Sunshine Enterprises
Executive Director
Ghian Foreman
Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative
Executive Director
Leslé Honoré
Community activist, author and artist and youth engagement expert
Poet/Author to the Community
CEO of Urban Gateways
Alfredo Nieves
UChicago Arts, Arts + Public Life
Deputy Director
THE ELEVATED CHICAGO STEERING COMMITTEE members and proxies at the 2019 ETOD Symposium. From left to right: (back row) Kevin Sutton, Mike Tomas, Jennie Fronczak, Adrian Soto, Dan Fulwiler, Ghian Foreman, Marly Schott, (front row) Roberto Requejo, Leslé Honoré, Christian Diaz, Shandra Richardson, Nootan Bharani, Andrew Greer, Kendra Freeman, Lori Berko, Emily LaFlamme, Juan Carlos Linares.
Leadership Council
Elevated Chicago’s Leadership Council is composed of senior leaders from across the city and region who listen to our ideas and help advance systemic change to implement our work plan:
- Chicago Department of Transportation, City of Chicago, Represented by Romina Castillo Guerrero, Director of Outreach and Engagement
- Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Represented by Erin Aleman, Executive Director
- Chicago Transportation Authority, Represented by Michael Connelly, Chief Planning Officer
- City Treasurer, Represented by Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Treasurer
- ComEd, Represented by Melissa Washington, Vice President, External Affairs & Large Customer Services
- Chicago Department of Housing, City of Chicago, Represented by Jim Horan, Interim Commissioner
- Chicago Department of Planning and Development, City of Chicago, Represented by Dawveed Scully, Managing Deputy Commissioner
- Chicago Department of Public Health, City of Chicago, Represented by Fikirte Wagaw, Interim Commissioner
- Office of Mayor Brandon Johnson, City of Chicago, Represented by Umi Grigsby, Chief of Policy and Advocacy
- Office of Mayor Brandon Johnson, City of Chicago, Represented by Kenya Merritt, Deputy Mayor
- Rush University Medical Center, Represented by David Ansell, Senior Vice President for Community Health Equity
- The Chicago Community Trust, Represented by Co-Chair Andrea Saenz, Chief Executive Officer
Our Structure
Our Funders
Funding for Elevated Chicago provided by:
- The Chicago Community Trust
- Convergence Partnership
- The Funders Network
- JPMorgan Chase Foundation
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
- Polk Bros. Foundation
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Square One Foundation
- Walder Foundation
- Builder’s Initiative
- National Resources Defense Council
Organizations that have aligned part of their funding and in-kind support with our workplan include the Chicago Dept. of Public Health, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, and Enterprise Community Partners.
Previous funders include SPARCC (the Strong Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge) — an initiative of Enterprise Community Partners, the Low Income Investment Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and The Funders Network
Working Groups and Community Tables
Since our launch in 2017, three working groups composed of Steering Committee members and other key stakeholders have been charged with designing and implementing strategies around 1) Capital and Programs, 2) Systems Change, and 3) Knowledge Sharing.
Inclusive Community Tables at the CTA stations we support have informed our strategies and determined our priorities in support of capital projects, programs, policies, narratives, data, and technical assistance.
In late 2019, we co-created with the Mayor’s Office of the City of Chicago the ETOD Working Group. The group is made up of about 80 people working in transit, affordable housing, community organizing, planning, public health and other issue areas.
In 2021, we launched the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Leadership Cohort with the Metropolitan Planning Council, an initiative for City of Chicago leaders to explore ways to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion principles into city planning.
In 2021, we also launched the Equitable Development Ambassadors Program, an initiative with Palenque LSNA, Duo Development, and Rudd Resources to invite residents from our eHub communities to deepen their knowledge of how to influence the principles of neighborhood development with community-driven action.