For 85 years, we’ve made the Chicago region stronger. More accessible, equitable, and habitable. We’ve got roots here.

We were founded as the Metropolitan Housing Council, by a group of concerned citizens fighting inequity. While some of their fellow Chicagoans enjoyed the luxuries of a world-renowned metropolis, working-class individuals across the city resided in crowded tenement slums that were more to have in rats than electricity and running water. That was 1934. Prohibition had just been repealed, the Great Depression was loosening its grip, and laborers across the nation were building the roads and dams and bridges that still knit together our nation today.

Our name has been updated. Our issues, tactics, and partners have evolved. But our commitment to making the Chicago region its best has never faltered. Those decades-old bridges and roads now are in desperate need of repair. Our affordable housing stock still falls short, in quantity, geographic distribution, and accessibility. Communities across our area pay vastly different rates for the same drinking water.

That’s why we at the Metropolitan Planning Council have a real urgency about work every day. It’s why we convene neighbors, community leaders, employers, and elected officials. While political administrations and public opinions change, for 85 years, we’ve delivered solutions for Chicagoland’s long-range, most complicated issues.

We’re immensely grateful to the people and institutions who donate their time, talents, and treasure to help our organization thrive. Thank you. Your generosity allows us to make Chicagoland the best it can be.

A history of equity and inclusion

Chicagoland doesn’t work unless it works for all of us. 2018 highlights included a detailed Roadmap for more equitable region, to the relaunch of a successful affordable housing initiative, to reasonable restrictions on aldermanic power, to new and exciting cultural partnerships. Our motto is “be bold” and many are taking note of our groundbreaking approach toward tackling disinvestment and racism.

Chicagoans now have a Roadmap on how to achieve this, thanks to our May 2018 release of Our Equitable Future, 27 policy recommendations to advance racial equity, developed in partnership with more than 100 advisors. Our Equitable Future complements the Cost of Segregation, our 2017 research with Urban Institute that quantified the steep price Chicagoans pay to live so separately by race and income. While the Cost of Segregation delivered a wake-up call, Our Equitable Future outlines a path forward. And people listened and learned: Since 2017, over 600 stories featuring this work were published in media outlets including the Economist, the New York Times, CNN, Forbes, Ebony, and National Public Radio. Cumulatively, our report was estimated to have reached more than 480 million people across the U.S.

Serena Wolfe

“For new residents like me, MPC offers thorough analysis of our community’s trends and challenges. And then they—we—take action.”

—Serena Wolfe, Partner Ernst & Young, LLP and Real Estate Market Segment Leader, Central Region, MPC Executive Advisor

A quality, affordable home is often the first step toward building the health and wealth that all deserve. That’s why MPC fights for housing choices from a number of angles. In partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services and The Resurrection Project, we developed recommendations to reenact New Homes for Chicago, first launched in 1990 by the City of Chicago to provide low- and moderate-income working families with the opportunity to buy high-quality new houses. In June we celebrated as the City announced its New Homes-inspired pilot. As Our Equitable Future recommendations capture, homeownership incentives like these are an essential first step on the ladder toward wealth building, especially in systemically disinvested neighborhoods.

We are all painfully accustomed to seeing maps of Chicago that reveal our entrenched segregation by race and income. Digging deeper, we find something obscured by these familiar images: the inequitable distribution of affordable homes across our city. That’s why MPC Vice President Marisa Novara and partners worked closely with Alderman Ameya Pawar to draft the Affordable Housing Equity Ordinance, which establishes limits on aldermanic prerogative for affordable housing in areas that lack it. The ordinance earned 27 supporters, and the practice behind it was rocketed into the limelight with allegations of corruption and proposals for reform throughout the 2019 aldermanic election cycle. At MPC we maintain pressure on inequitable practices—whether or not they’re making the evening news.

Tonika Lewis Johnson

“MPC truly understands how art can convene people and help them expand their thinking about inequity. From the beginning, MPC supported and amplified my Folded Map exhibit that examines the inequity of Chicago’s segregation while bringing North and South Side residents together for a conversation. Our partnership significantly influenced the tremendously positive public response that neither of us could have predicted.”

—Tonika Lewis Johnson, Activist-Artist

In 2018, community members connected with big ideas and each other at our equity- and inclusion-relate­d public events. In conjunction with the Loyola University Museum of Art, we convened a conversation between urban designer Paola Aguirre and artist Tonika Lewis Johnson, whose famed Folded Map photography connects “map twins,” residents who live at corresponding addresses on Chicago’s North and South Sides. We hosted Jahmal Cole, founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, which introduces youth to new experiences and places in Chicago—in conversation with Darryl Holiday of City Bureau, a civic media organization based on Chicago’s South Side. On the 55th anniversary of the ‘63 Boycott, in which over 250,000 Chicago Public Schools students walked out of their classrooms in order to protest racial segregation, we hosted a sold-out screening and discussion with the filmmakers.

A history of community building and placemaking

At MPC, we’re known as skillfull conveners. We’re recognized for bringing diverse interests to the same table. As we unite leaders across business, government, social enterprise, and community, we also invest in people throughout the Chicago region—wherever they are. From the redevelopment of a historic anchor, to community building along our rivers, to collaboration on stormwater and equitable transit-oriented development, we bring people together to unlock the potential of our Chicago region and our nation.

When the Cook County Land Bank Authority acquired Woodlawn’s beautiful, historic, long-vacant Washington Park National Bank Building through a scavenger sale, neighbors had powerful ideas about the building’s redevelopment. In early 2018, we solicited and amplified locals’ voices through three Corridor Development Initiative meetings which convened community membersand developers, aided by expert architects. We analyzed data and produced an informative report, complete with architects’ renderings, that guide the Cook County Land Bank Authority in reviving this vital asset. In the autumn of 2018, around a future orchard in Garfield Park, we conducted a similar process in partnership with the Chicago Department of Planning & Development, Elevated Chicago, and the Garfield Park Community Council.

3,771

Event attendees

Number of people who attended an MPC event in 2018

As an outgrowth of the Great Rivers Chicago initiative, MPC has catalyzed new visions, partnerships, technical assistance, and financial resources for our region’s Chicago, Calumet, and Des Plaines rivers. The Chicago Community Trust, inspired MPC’s vision for continuous public access to our riverfronts.That’s why the Trust created the Our Great Rivers fund, seeding 15 placemaking projects led by community organizations and other partners over two years. One example? Building Beaubien, a team working on a 10-year plan to better connect a Forest Preserves of Cook County property along the Little Calumet River to its nearby residential communities, including Altgeld Gardens. Facilitating a cohort of grant recipients, we offer assistance, collaboration, and connection to pro-bono specialists in design, architecture, engineering, and finance. The model yields accessible, active, and aesthetically beautiful spaces, and helps connect formerly disparate stretches of river.

James Burns

“MPC connects communities to their riverfronts. They’ve been a partner in helping us achieve greater impact on the South Branch of the Chicago River.”

—James Burns, South Branch Park Advisory Council President

Stormwater doesn’t abide by municipal boundaries, and neither should solutions to address it. That’s the theory behind our globally-recognized Calumet Stormwater Collaborative, a diverse group of stakeholders coordinating efforts in south Chicago and suburban Cook County to solve chronic urban flooding. In 2018, MPC facilitated the dialogue and consensus around the group’s first long-range, three-year work plan to reduce basement back-ups, increase the maintenance of green and grey infrastructure, heighten coordination, and use more and better data. It’s a guiding vision—for a Collaborative with vision. In March 2018, MPC partnered with two members, the Delta Institute and the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, to host over 40 suburban municipal stakeholders at a one-day, solutions-based, on-the-ground training in the Calumet. Attendees were inspired by new tools and best practices developed by the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative for practical approaches to complex stormwater problems.

MPC is a member of Elevated Chicago, a collaborative that unlocks the potential of transit stations to serve as hubs connecting people and creating vibrant and equitable centers for climate resilience, health, and culture. Generously funded by a national network of foundations called SPARCC, and locally by the Chicago Community Trust, Elevated Chicago is part of a six-city, $90 million initiative. In 2018, MPC staff participated in community education and engagement meetings, or “Community Tables,” across the city. We answered questions about equitable transit-oriented development and led dialogue in which community members articulated their needs and potential solutions.

A history of infrastructure advocacy and education

It wasn’t that long ago that Chicagoans cruised their city in Model Ts and delivered unchlorinated water to old-fashioned taps. But while the style of cars and water faucets has changed, the importance of solid, well-funded, strategic infrastructure to our world-class city has remained constant. That’s why we quantify the return on investment in public transit, educate municipal leaders on running their public water utilities, expand the benefits of transit-oriented development, and tap social media to build the case for investment in our region’s transportation infrastructure.

We know that public transit is more equitable than other transportation options, unlocking jobs across our region at an affordable fare. But how does public transit benefit employers? Plenty. That’s why in October MPC released Transit Means Business, a report outlining the economic argument for why the business community enthusiastically supports transit for talent retention, corporate sustainability, and more. The short story? A well-funded and robust transit system yields jobs, increased worker productivity, a strong and resilient real estate market, and better health outcomes. For the statistics and case studies of businesses like McDonald’s you won’t find anywhere else, we invite you to cruise our Transit Means Business report.

Kirk Dillard

“MPC’s Transit Means Business report captured the value of public transit for keeping our region vibrant and economically vital. Trains and buses aren’t just for moving us around, but forward.”

—Kirk Dillard, Chairman, Regional Transportation Authority Chairman

Elected and community officials have a new tool to ensure high-quality drinking water now and into the future, thanks to the 2018 release of Drinking Water 1-2-3, our engaging how-to guidebook. The guidebook proved so popular and essential, we’ve run a second printing. If Drinking Water 1-2-3 is the textbook, in 2019, we’ll be hard-at-work on the course. Stay tuned to learn more about the Drinking Water 1-2-3 Academy, a peer-to-peer learning exchange and local technical assistance.

84

Speaking engagements

Number of public engagements, domestic and international, at which MPC staff presented in 2018

Transit-oriented development results in household cost savings, access to jobs, healthier humans, and vibrant streetscapes. But MPC analysis revealed that the City of Chicago’s 2013 transit-oriented development ordinance mostly benefitted areas already receiving investment: the North and Near West sides. All Chicagoans deserve the benefits of equitable development, so in 2018 MPC, the Mayor’s Office, and city departments laid the groundwork for expanding TOD incentives across our community, including selected high-ridership bus corridors. (Spoiler alert: in January 2019, the Chicago City Council used our input to pass an amendment to the 2015 ordinance, including an implementation plan that seeks to ensure that transit-oriented development yields equitable outcomes across all neighborhoods.)

Juan Carlos Linares

“Our neighborhoods are changing quickly, and MPC has partnered with community organizations to plan along with and fight for affordability.”

—Juan Carlos Linares, LUCHA Executive Director and 2019 MPC Board of Governors member

Sometimes dialogue around infrastructure can feel dry. So we at MPC constantly experiment with creative forms of engaging people through the systems that underpin their lives. In 2018, this was #BustedCommute, a social media campaign inviting people to document their first-hand commuting encounters with Illinois’ crumbling transportation infrastructure. From highways, buses, trains and sidewalks, from underneath Metra bridges and flooded El stations, images started rolling in, and the #BustedCommute campaign was featured on WGN-TV, WBEZ’s “The Morning Shift,” Univision, John Greenfield’s Streetsblog and elsewhere. We published a photo album of #BustedCommute contributions that we’re using with legislators to advocate for sustainable revenue for our state's transportation network. In late 2018, we also developed a series of engaging webinars to help candidates for Chicago City Council understand the big issues that would shape their service—including transit, water supply, affordable housing, and pension reform.

A history of using resources wisely

These days it’s too easy to let our precious resources slip quietly away, victim to convenience and the status quo. But at MPC, we fight for smarter solutions, from better stormwater management to more responsive government, because we believe that our region’s resources are worth preserving.

When developers build new or redevelop old buildings in our region, stormwater ordinances dictate that they must dedicate space to manage stormwater on their sites. But these stormwater controls are expensive and possibly unnecessary in areas with enough capacity to handle storms. What if developers had the option to instead purchase stormwater credits for storage installed off-site, at locations needing flood relief, to comply with the ordinance and enable more widespread flooding solutions? Enter StormStore™, which could be the first stormwater credit trading market in the Midwest. In 2018, MPC worked with The Nature Conservancy to investigate the feasibility and need for such a unique and exciting market.

Sharon Bush

“We applaud MPC’s work to protect and improve the health of our region’s waterways. It’s leadership and influence are critical for achieving new and sustainable solutions that help communities address challenges, such as stormwater and lead, that affect their daily lives.”

—Sharon Bush, Grand Victoria Foundation Executive Director and MPC Sensible Growth Committee Member

We’re infamous: By now you’ve likely heard that Illinois has more than 7,000 units of government, more than any other state in the nation. In the spirit of solutions, MPC co-leads Transform Illinois with DuPage County, a government efficiency-focused collaborative of elected officials, civic organizations, and research institutions. In 2018, the coalition supported eight bills that were passed by the Illinois General Assembly to increase transparency, accountability, and voter empowerment. These are vital steps forward to efficient government that works for all of us.

6,438

Twitter followers

Number of @metroplanners Twitter followers in 2018

Although our region is located on the shores of a Great Lake, almost 20% of Northeastern Illinois’ population relies on drinking water from groundwater. Will County—home of Joliet, Illinois’ third-largest city—is one such place. Current groundwater depletion poses a significant and time-critical challenge for ensuring sustainable drinking water resources. MPC facilitated discussions to activate regional water supply planning efforts, which resulted in improved data reporting of water usage. The City of Joliet moving forward with an alternative water supply study, and—best of all—a new, cross-municipality Water Committee dedicated to regional coordination and education.

2018 was a year of bold action at the Metropolitan Planning Council. From Bronzeville to Brussels, our staff spoke at 84 public engagements across the region and globe. Over 4,000 people attended our events. Over 6,000 followed us on Twitter. But there’s one number that echoes in our minds this season: 85. Thank you for your support of our 85 years of motivating Chicagoland to be its best.

Financial summary

MPC’s research, advocacy and demonstration projects are funded primarily by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations.

2018 operating expenses

2018 operating revenue by source

$500,000 and above

  • The Chicago Community Trust
  • Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust
  • Pert Foundation at The Chicago Community Trust

$250,000–$499,999

  • Grand Victoria Foundation
  • The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

$100,000–$249,999

  • Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
  • The Crown Family
  • Harris Family Foundation
  • The Joyce Foundation
  • JPMorgan Chase
  • Robert R. McCormick Foundation
  • Pat and Shirley Ryan Family

$50,000–$99,999

  • Bank of America
  • Comcast
  • Ann M. Drake
  • Hopewell Fund
  • PNC Bank
  • Polk Bros. Foundation

$20,000–$49,999

  • The 601W Companies
  • Abbott
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • ArcelorMittal USA
  • BMO Harris Bank
  • Bowman C. Lingle Trust
  • Bucksbaum Retail Properties, LLC
  • Ellen Carnahan
  • Carol Lavin Bernick Family Foundation
  • CIBC Bank USA
  • Kent and Elizabeth Dauten
  • DSC Logistics, Inc.
  • The Duchossois Group, Inc.
  • The Edgewater Funds
  • Fifth Third Bank
  • First Midwest Bank
  • Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
  • GCM Grosvenor
  • Edgar D. Jannotta, Sr.
  • The John Buck Company
  • Michael L. Keiser
  • LaSalle Investment Management
  • J. Landis Martin
  • Andrew J. McKenna, Sr.
  • Steven N. Miller
  • Peoples Gas
  • The Prince Charitable Trusts
  • The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
  • U.S. Bank
  • Wintrust Financial Corporation
  • Jessica Droste Yagan

$10,000–$19,999

  • AbbVie Inc.
  • Nicholas W. Alexos
  • The Allstate Corporation
  • AptarGroup, Inc.
  • Association of American Railroads
  • John and Kathleen Buck
  • CA Residential
  • The Canning Foundation
  • CenterPoint Properties Trust
  • Centro
  • Chicago Cubs
  • ComEd
  • Conant Family Foundation
  • Cushman & Wakefield
  • Dr. Scholl Foundation
  • Edelman
  • Ernst & Young LLP
  • T. Bondurant French
  • John S. Gates, Jr.
  • Nancy S. Gerrie
  • Jacques Gordon and Elizabeth H. Wiltshire
  • Illinois Housing Development Authority
  • Illinois Tool Works Inc.
  • InterPark Holdings LLC
  • Karen Layng
  • Lend Lease
  • Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC
  • Jim and Kitty Mann
  • MB Financial Bank, N.A.
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • Packaging Corporation of America (PCA)
  • Public Health Institute
  • Joan Rockey
  • RoundTable Healthcare Partners
  • SIPI Metals Corp.
  • Sterling Bay Companies
  • Union Pacific Corporation

$5,000–$9,999

  • Aon Corporation
  • ARCADIS
  • Baird & Warner, Inc.
  • BDT & Company, LLC
  • Booth Hansen Associates
  • Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.
  • Chris Conley
  • James and Catherine Denny
  • DLA Piper
  • Daniel D. Dolan, Jr.
  • Draper and Kramer, Inc.
  • Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP
  • Epstein
  • Franczek Radelet P.C.
  • Gensler
  • Greeley and Hansen
  • The Habitat Company
  • Heitman
  • Illinois American Water
  • John H. Krehbiel, Jr.
  • John W. Madigan
  • Robert E. Miller
  • Lee M. Mitchell
  • Northern Trust
  • Ozinga Redi-Mix Concrete
  • Pepper Construction Company
  • Perkins & Will
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
  • The Pritzker Traubert Foundation
  • Related Midwest
  • Riverside Investment & Development
  • Robinson Engineering Ltd.
  • Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
  • Julia M. Stasch
  • Ellen and Jim Stirling
  • Bruce W. Taylor
  • United Center
  • Wight & Company

$1,000–$4,999

  • James L. Alexander
  • Ancel, Glink, Diamond, Bush, Dicianni & Krafthefer, P.C.
  • Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
  • Anonymous
  • Ben and Sheila Applegate
  • Ariel Investments, LLC
  • Kyle Barnett
  • MarySue Barrett
  • Quin Barrett
  • Luann and David Blowers Charitable Trust Fund
  • Matthew Brewer
  • Todd C. Brown
  • Christopher B. Burke
  • Paul and Rebecca Carlisle
  • John H. Catlin
  • CDM Smith
  • Pedro J. Cevallos-Candau
  • CKL Engineers, LLC
  • Collins Engineers, Inc.
  • The Conservation Fund
  • Enterprise Community Partners
  • Exelon Corporation
  • Jamee and Marshall Field, V
  • Robert V. Fitzsimmons, II
  • Ford Motor Company
  • Mr. and Mrs. James J. Glasser
  • Linda Goodman and David Narefsky
  • M. Hill Hammock
  • HBK Engineering, LLC
  • HDR Engineering, Inc.
  • Andrew J. Hesselbach
  • David D. Hiller
  • James S. Kemper Foundation
  • Jocarno Fund
  • Christopher J. King
  • Thomas C. Kirschbraun
  • Michael C. Krauss
  • Laritza Lopez
  • Suzanne M. Martinez
  • Therese J. McGuire
  • Brian Meltzer
  • Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
  • Matthew Moog
  • David Mook
  • Juan G. Moreno
  • Janet Myers
  • Ellen Partridge and Ed Tanzman
  • Patricia J. Hurley & Associates, Inc.
  • James B. Planey
  • John S. Poth
  • Matthew R. Reilein
  • The Robert Thomas Bobins Foundation
  • LeeAnn Tomas-Foster, Arcadis
  • Stephen Charles Ross
  • Sahara Enterprises, Inc.
  • Sam Schwartz Consulting
  • Lisa Snow and Franco Turrinelli
  • Solomon Cordwell Buenz & Associates, Inc.
  • SPAAN Tech, Inc.
  • Martin Stern
  • Barbara L. Stewart
  • Donald M. Stewart
  • STV Incorporated
  • Taiber Kosmala & Associates, LLC
  • Michael A. Thomas
  • Union League Club of Chicago
  • University of Illinois at Chicago, CUPPA
  • Mary White Vasys
  • Pam and Doug Walter
  • Melissa Y. Washington
  • Robert Weissbourd
  • William Blair & Company, LLC
  • WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff

$500–$999

  • David E. Baker
  • The Banc Funds Company
  • Gina Berndt
  • Blue Island Historical Society
  • Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
  • Connections for the Homeless
  • Stephen Eastwood
  • Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago
  • Kathleen P. Freidheim
  • Susan Garrett
  • Joseph A. Gregoire
  • Carolyn Grisko
  • Illinois Tollway
  • The Lakota Group
  • Robert Larrimore
  • Legacy Foundation Incorporated
  • Bernard Loyd
  • Mary K. Ludgin
  • John W. McCarter, Jr.
  • Susan J. Moran and John M. McDonough
  • Lynne Considine Nieman
  • Erika Poethig and Ray Sendejas
  • Prosperity Now
  • Jesse and Michele Ruiz
  • Gordon and Carole Segal
  • Adele S. Simmons
  • Michael Toolis, Stantec Architecture
  • Thomas Theobald
  • Valerie S. Kretchmer Associates, Inc.
  • Vasys Consulting Ltd.
  • Weiss, Sugar, Dvorak & Dusek Ltd.

$150–$499

  • Ian N. Ackerman
  • J. Tyler Anthony
  • Kimberly Bares
  • Jennifer Bell
  • Blue Foundation
  • Joel Bookman
  • Mark and Mary Bookman
  • Cardno, Inc.
  • The Chicago Network
  • Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago
  • Aric and K.K. Cleland
  • John and Jane Colman
  • Community Investment Corporation
  • Kevin Connors
  • Ellen C. Craig
  • Leah M. Day
  • Robert O. Delaney
  • Delta Institute
  • Katherine A. Donofrio
  • The Economic Club of Chicago
  • Josh Ellis
  • Steve Fansler
  • Jean Franczyk
  • Greater Good Studio
  • Nickol Hackett
  • Donald Haider
  • Christopher Hall
  • Eileen Hamra
  • Thomas W. Hawley
  • Hawthorne Strategy Group
  • Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, Inc.
  • Robert A. Hutchins
  • IFF
  • Jasculca/Terman and Associates, Inc.
  • Brian Jennett
  • Vincent A. Kolber
  • Janet A. Lang
  • Latino Policy Forum
  • LCM Architects
  • Howard A. Learner, Environmental Law & Policy Center
  • Kenneth and Lucy Lehman
  • John and Jill Levi
  • Lori E. Lightfoot
  • Laurel Lipkin
  • Jeanne Martineau
  • Walter Massey
  • David May
  • Thomas McElroy, II
  • Anne F. McMillen
  • Anna Bicanic Moeller
  • Elena Mulcahy
  • Clare Muñana, Blue Foundation
  • NORR Architects
  • North Park University
  • Northeastern Illinois University
  • Rosa Y. Ortiz
  • Jeffrey Owen
  • Lisa Paschal
  • Patricia C. Bobb & Associates
  • Jonathan Perman
  • Julian G. Posada
  • Purdue University Northwest
  • George A. Ranney, Jr.
  • Anna M. Rappaport
  • Robert Rejman
  • Bettylu and Paul Saltzman
  • John Sassaris
  • SB Friedman Development Advisors
  • Rachel A. Scheu
  • Stephen E. Schlickman
  • Paul Shadle
  • Ellen and Richard Shubart
  • Site Design Group
  • Jeff E. Smith
  • SmithGroup
  • Unmi Song
  • Jeffrey Sriver
  • Bernadette Tucker
  • Village of Franklin Park
  • Village of Romeoville
  • Jimie Wheeler
  • Antoinette Wright
  • Michael Zwell

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.

2018 Board of Governors

  • Chair
    Todd Brown
  • Vice Chair
    Ann M. Drake
    Chairman
    DSC Logistics, Inc.
  • Vice Chairs Development
    Ellen Carnahan
    Principal
    Machrie Enterprises LLC
  • James P. Stirling
    Senior Advisor
    UBS
  • Vice Chair Government Relations
    Robert V. Fitzsimmons, II
    Managing Director and Principal
    Next Generation Public Affairs, Inc.
  • Secretary
    Paul C. Carlisle
    Executive Vice President
    Wintrust Commercial Corporation
  • Treasurer
    Bruce W. Taylor
    Vice Chairman
    MB Financial Bank, N.A.
  • Vice Chair & General Counsel
    Jesse H. Ruiz
    Partner
    Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP
  • Past Chair
    Jacques N. Gordon
    Global Investment Strategist
    LaSalle Investment Management
  • President
    MarySue Barrett
    President
    Metropolitan Planning Council

Board of Governors Members

*Executive Committee Members
†Resigned in 2018

  • Kyle Barnett
    Head, North American Physical Channels & Head, US Channels
    BMO Harris Bank
  • Carol Ross Barney
    Founder & President
    Ross Barney Architects, Inc.
  • *Matthew Brewer
    Partner
    Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP
  • †Monique Brinkman-Hill
    Former Senior VP & Managing Director, Wealth Management
    Northern Trust
  • Christopher B. Burke, Ph.D.
    President
    Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.
  • Olga Camargo
    Managing Partner
    TOROSO Investments, LLC
  • John H. Catlin, FAIA
    Partner
    LCM Architects
  • Pedro J. Cevallos-Candau
    President
    Pececa, Ltd.
  • Chris Conley
    Founder
    Two Bit Ventures, LLC
  • Lester Crown
    Chairman
    Henry Crown & Company
  • Francesca DeBiase
    Chief Supply Chain and Sustainability Officer
    McDonald’s Corporation
  • *James C. Franczek, Jr.
    President
    Franczek Radelet P.C.
  • †John S. Gates, Jr.
    Chairman & CEO
    PortaeCo LLC
  • Linda Goodman
    Principal
    Goodman Williams Group
  • M. Hill Hammock
    Chairman
    Chicago Deferred Exchange Company
  • †King Harris
    Chairman
    Harris Holdings Inc.
  • Andrew J. Hesselbach
    Vice President - Construction
    Peoples Gas
  • Charles R. Kaiser
    General Manager, Corporate Affairs
    Edelman
  • Christopher J. King
    President
    Robinson Engineering Ltd.
  • Laritza Lopez
    President
    PurpleGroup
  • Bernard Loyd
    President
    Urban Juncture, Inc.
  • Mary K. Ludgin
    Director of Global Investment Research
    Heitman
  • Peter C. Malecek
    Commercial Real Estate Regional Executive
    Bank of America
  • James E. Mann
  • Lee M. Mitchell
    Managing Partner
    Thoma Bravo, Inc.
  • Matthew Moog
    CEO
    PowerReviews
  • *Juan Gabriel Moreno
    President
    JGMA, Ltd.
  • Savi Pai
    Executive Director, Private Bank
    JPMorgan Chase
  • *J. Scot Pepper
    Executive Vice President
    Pepper Construction Company
  • Julian G. Posada
    Chief Operating and Enterprise Officer
    The Resurrection Project
  • John S. Poth
    Partner, Nat'l PCS Quality and Risk Mgmt Leader
    PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
  • †Jorge Ramirez
    Former President
    Chicago Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
  • George A. Ranney, Jr.
  • Matthew R. Reilein
    Managing Director of Community Development
    Cresset Partners
  • Shawn Riegsecker
    Founder & CEO
    Centro
  • Smita Shah, PE
    President & CEO
    SPAAN Tech, Inc.
  • †Lisa Snow
    Managing Director, Dispute Consulting
    Duff & Phelps
  • Martin Stern
    Senior Managing Director
    CBRE, Inc.
  • Tyronne Stoudemire
    VP, Global Diversity & Inclusion
    Global Hyatt Corporation
  • Michael A. Thomas
    Vice President, Administration & Real Estate
    The Allstate Corporation
  • Mary White Vasys
    President
    Vasys Consulting Ltd.
  • *Melissa Y. Washington
    VP External Affairs & Large Customer Solutions
    ComEd
  • *Paula Wolff
    Director
    Illinois Justice Project
  • *Jessica Droste Yagan
    CEO
    Impact Engine

2018 Honorary Board

  • Edward K. Banker 
    Senior Vice President (Retired) 
    Harris Trust and Savings Bank
  • Laurence O. Booth 
    Design Principal 
    Booth Hansen Associates
  • Joseph A. Gregoire 
    Senior Vice President
    Wintrust Financial Corporation
  • Donald Haider 
    Professor of Public Management 
    Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
  • John McDonough 
    Partner (Retired) 
    Sidley Austin LLP
  • Daniel R. Toll 
    Chairman (Retired) 
    Corona Corporation
  • Priscilla A. (Pam) Walter
    Of Counsel
    Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP

2018 Executive Advisors

  • Nicholas W. Alexos
    Chief Financial Officer
    Dentsply Sirona, Inc.
  • Carol L. Bernick
    CEO
    Polished Nickel Capital Management LLC
  • George W. Bilicic
    Vice Chairman of US Investment Banking
    Lazard
  • John A. Buck, II
    Chairman & CEO
    The John Buck Company
  • John L. Bucksbaum
    CEO
    Bucksbaum Retail Properties, LLC
  • Marion A. Cameron
    CEO
    Sipi Metals Corp.
  • David Casper
    President & CEO
    BMO Harris Bank
  • Robert M. Chapman
    CEO
    CenterPoint Properties Trust
  • Marsha Cruzan
    Regional President
    U.S. Bank
  • Craig J. Duchossois
    Chairman and CEO
    The Duchossois Group, Inc.
  • Bob Flannery
    President
    CA Residential
  • John S. Gates, Jr.
    Chairman & CEO
    PortaeCo LLC
  • Nancy S. Gerrie
    Partner
    Winston & Strawn LLP
  • Ari F. Glass
    President
    Zeller Realty Corporation
  • Andy Gloor
    Managing Principal
    Sterling Bay
  • Edward R. Hamberger
    President & CEO
    Association of American Railroads
  • Michael L. Keiser
    Owner
    Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
  • Christie B. Kelly
    Global Chief Financial Officer
    Jones Lang LaSalle
  • Mark Kowlzan
    Chairman and CEO
    PCA
  • Karen Layng
    Founder and President
    M.A.I.T. Co.
  • Steven N. Miller
    Founder and Co-Founder
    Origin Ventures
  • Charles Moore
    President
    The Banc Funds Company, LLC
  • J. Marshall Peck
    President
    InterPark Holdings LLC
  • Larry D. Richman
    President & CEO
    CIBC Bank USA
  • Shawn Riegsecker
    Founder & CEO
    Centro
  • Joan Rockey
    Principal, Chief Financial Officer
    CastleArk Management LLC
  • Michael Scudder
    Chairman, President & CEO
    First Midwest Bancorp
  • Mark Skender
    CEO
    Skender
  • Robert A. Sullivan
    Regional Chairman
    Fifth Third Bank
  • Scott Swanson
    President
    PNC Bank Illinois
  • Stephan B. Tanda
    President & CEO
    AptarGroup, Inc.
  • Thomas Weeks
    Executive General Manager-Development
    Lendlease
  • Edward J. Wehmer
    Founder, President & CEO
    Wintrust Financial Corporation
  • Serena Wolfe
    Partner|Central Market Segment Leader-RHC
    Ernst & Young
  • Andrea L. Zopp
    President and CEO
    World Business Chicago

2018 Housing and Community Development Committee

  • Mark Angelini
    Mercy Housing Lakefront
  • Bennett Applegate
    Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, P.C.
  • David Baker
    Illinois Institute of Technology
  • Betsy Benito
    Corporation for Supportive Housing
  • Mathew Brewer
    Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP
  • Eva Brown
    U.S. Bank
  • Lee Brown
    Teska Associates, Inc.
  • Todd Brown
  • Andre Brumfield
    Gensler
  • Jack Catlin
    LCM Architects
  • Paul Carlisle
    Wintrust Financial Corporation
  • Savannah Clement
    City of Evanston
  • Chris Conley
    Gravitytank
  • Pamela Daniels-Halisi
    BMO Harris Bank
  • Deborah Dixon
    Gorman & Company, Inc.
  • Andrew Geer
    Enterprise Community Partners
  • Jodi Gingis
    Lake County Community Development
  • Linda Goodman
    Goodman Williams Group
  • King Harris
    Harris Holdings Inc.
  • Juanita Irizarry
    Friends of the Park
  • Peter Levavi
    Brinshore Development LLC
  • Juan Linares
    Latin United Community Housing Association
  • Laritza Lopez
    The Purple Group
  • Bernard Loyd
    Urban Juncture, Inc.
  • Mary Ludgin
    Heitman
  • Stephen Schlickman
    Schlickman & Associates
  • Patricia Mahon
    Village of South Holland
  • Robert Miller
    Applied Real Estate Analysis, Inc.
  • Delores Ponce de Leon
    Latino Policy Forum
  • Matthew Reilein
    Obrien Staley Partners
  • Jesse Ruiz
    Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP
  • Maria Saldana
  • Pete Saunders
    City of Calumet City
  • Lisa Snow
    Duff & Phelps
  • A. Gail Sturm
    ProTen Realty Group
  • Bruce Taylor
    MB Financial Bank, N.A.
  • Mary Vasys
    Vasys Consulting Ltd.
  • Mark Wegener
    SunTrust
  • Stacie Young
    The Preservation Compact

2018 Sensible Growth Committee

  • Ramont (Ray) Bell
    Faith in Place
  • Monique Brinkman-Hill
  • Christopher B. Burke, Ph.D.
    Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.
  • Sharon Bush
    Grand Victoria Foundation
  • Monica Chadha
    Civic Projects LLC
  • Ellen C. Craig
  • Alejandra Garza
    AGG Consulting
  • Meleah Geerstma
    Natural Resources Defense Council
  • Adolfo Hernandez
    JB and MK Pritzker Family Foundation
  • Janelle Johnson
    Omni Ecosystems
  • Christopher J. King
    PE Robinson Engineering Ltd.
  • Thomas C. Kirschbraun
    Jones Lang LaSalle
  • Sarah Langeliers
    BBJ Group LLP
  • Lynda Lopez
    Streetsblog Chicago
  • Suzanne Malec-McKenna
  • James E. Mann
  • Luis Montgomery
    2IM Group, LLC
  • Heather D. Parish
    Pierce Family Foundation
  • Donovan W. Pepper
    Walgreen Co.
  • John S. Poth
    PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
  • Carol Ross Barney, FAIA
    Ross Barney Architects,
  • Sabina L. Shaikh, Ph.D.
    University of Chicago
  • David J. Siegel
    Sidley Austin LLP
  • Michael A. Thomas
    The Allstate Corporation
  • Michael A. Toolis
    Stantec
  • Kimberly Wasserman Nieto
    Little Village Environmental Justice Organization

2018 Regional Planning & Investment Committee

  • William Abolt
    AECOM
  • Kyle Barnett
    BMO Harris Bank
  • Dionne Baux
    Main Street America
  • Pedro Cevallos-Candau
  • Francesca DeBiase
    McDonald's Corporation
  • Kristi DeLaurentiis
    South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association
  • Cindy Fish
    Fish Transportation Group
  • Robert Fitzsimmons
    Next Generation Public Affairs, Inc.
  • Bernard Ford
  • Ghian Foreman
    Greater Southwest Development Corporation
  • James Franczek
    Franczek Radelet P.C.
  • Jacques Gordon
    LaSalle Investments Management
  • Andrew Hesselbach
    Peoples Gas
  • Tom Kotarac
    Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago
  • Vig Krishnamurthy
    Ford Smart Mobility
  • Jill Leary
    Regional Transportation Authority
  • Kate Lowe
    University of Illinois at Chicago, CUPPA
  • Peter Malecek
    Bank of America
  • Neil McMonalge
    Ernst & Young LLP
  • Thomas Morsch
    Public Financial Management Group
  • Michael Pagano
    University of Illinois at Chicago, CUPPA
  • Savi Pai
    JPMorgan Chase
  • J. Scot Pepper
    Pepper Construction Company
  • Paula Pienton
    T.Y. Lin International, Inc.
  • Robert Reiter
    Chicago Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
  • Amalia Rioja
    Baker & McKenzie
  • Stephen Schlickman
    Schlickman & Associates
  • Paul Shadle
    DLA Piper
  • Smita Shah
    SPAAN Tech, Inc.
  • Martin Stern
    CBRE, Inc.
  • James Stirling
    UBS
  • Emily Tapia Lopez
    HNTB Corporation
  • Laura Wilkison
    Metro Strategies
  • Paula Wolff
    Illinois Justice Project
  • Paula Worthington
    University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
  • Erik Varela
    Union Pacific Railroad
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For more than 85 years, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) has partnered with communities, businesses, and governments to unleash the greatness of the Chicago region. We believe that every neighborhood has promise, every community should be heard, and every person can thrive. To tackle the toughest urban planning and development challenges, we create collaborations that change perceptions, conversations—and the status quo. Read more about our work »

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