2013 Annual Report

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Leadership

MPC bridges gaps between government, community and business leaders, enabling them to more powerfully join forces and collectively improve our region. We believe that strong partnerships rooted in respect, listening and trust are critical to creative, effective problem-solving.

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In memoriam

MPC marked a sad day on Dec. 27, 2013, when John W. Baird, chairman of Baird & Warner, passed away at the age of 98. In the civic world, some leaders come and go. Chicago, and MPC, are fortunate that was not the case with Mr. Baird, who joined MPC's Board in 1953 and was an active and dedicated member for more than 60 of the organization's 80 years.

At the helm of one of Chicago's largest real estate firms and as a venerable leader in the region's civic community, Mr. Baird altered the course of Chicago's development and, in so doing, shaped the city we know and love today.

During his tenure as MPC president, from 1957 to 1963, Mr. Baird called on the Chicago City Council to enact a fair housing ordinance barring discrimination in real estate sales "against any person because of his race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry." Though the law passed in 1963, neither the city nor its Real Estate Board was ready for true change, prompting Mr. Baird to resign from that board in protest of continued discrimination.

From 1961 to 1973, he served first as a commissioner and then as president of the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, the precursor to today's Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). In the early 2000s, when the region was debating CMAP's creation, Mr. Baird greatly informed MPC's strategic advocacy urging us "aim high and do not compromise too soon." In the 1960s and 1970s he led the private development of Willow-Dayton in Lincoln Park; Campus Green on the Near West Side; and South Commons near the Illinois Institute of Technology. In the 1980s he, along with fellow MPC board colleagues Harry Weese and Larry Booth, inaugurated the concept of industrial loft conversions to housing with their precedent-setting Printers Row project.

Long before the real estate market embraced concepts like sustainability and green building, Mr. Baird was a champion for adaptive reuse of buildings and open space. He served many years on the Commission for Chicago Landmarks; co-founded NeighborSpace in 1996; and was a longtime member of the Trust for Public Land's board, bringing an urban parks focus to its work nationally and locally. In Chicago, that work led to open space hallmarks across the city, including Senka Park on the Southwest Side, Ping Tom Park on the Chicago River in Chinatown, and, most recently, The 606, formerly known as the Bloomingdale Trail.

Mr. Baird continued to attend MPC meetings into his late 90s, inspiring staff and volunteers alike. He generously shared stories from MPC's history, including memories of working alongside MPC's longtime executive director Dorothy Rubel, who passed away in 2012 at the age of 108.

Mr. Baird's legacy will long be felt by MPC and is extended by the involvement of both his son-in-law, James Mann, and grandson, Wyllys Mann. Equal parts visionary and "doer," Mr. Baird was a true gift to Chicago who will long set the bar for civic leadership for our region.

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Board of Governors
Executive Committee Officers

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Board of Governors Members
*Denotes Executive Committee Members

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MPC thanks the following people whose Board terms expired in 2013

• Rita Athas
• Nora Moreno Cargie
• John Baird (deceased)
• Robert O'Brien
• Kevin Richardson

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Honorary Board

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Resource Board

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Executive Advisors

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Executive Advisors who left in 2013

• Laurent Auguste, Veolia Water North America
• Paul S. Fisher, Centerpoint Properties
• Frederick A. Krehbiel, Molex Incorporated
• Matthew C. Levin, Aon Corporation
• Judith C. Rice, BMO Harris Bank
• Jim L. Stanley, NIPSCO

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Housing & Community Development Committee

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Sensible Growth Committee

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Regional Planning & Investments Committee

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For a current listing of MPC's leadership, please visit the Our people page on the website.

This page can be found online at https://www.metroplanning.org/annualreport/2013/leadership.aspx

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