Housing Associate, South Suburban Coordinator, Assistant Director of Development, Business Leaders for Transportation Executive Director, Vice President for Strategy and Communications positions filled.
Steven Dailey II
Housing Associate
Mr. Dailey will be concentrating his efforts at MPC on public housing initiatives, including expanded public information, MetroLinks implementation, and the Housing Choice Voucher Working Group. Steven recently received a master’s degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, during which he was a program intern for the Field Foundation. He currently is Board of Directors Co-Chair for Project Brotherhood. Steven received a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University in Hampton, VA.
Kristi DeLaurentiis
South Suburban Coordinator
Ms. DeLaurentiis has an extensive history of community involvement in the southern suburbs and has been active in local politics, experience which will help her launch MPC’s second outreach outpost, focusing on South Cook and Will Counties. Kristi serves on the Governors State University Board as the chair of the Academic Program and Policy Committee. She recently worked as an intern for the governor’s advisor on environment and natural resources. A life-long south suburban resident, she holds a bachelor’s degree and an M.S. degree in Environmental Biology from Governors State University. Both Kristi and Wayne Kurzeja, MPC’s North
Suburban Coordinator, are part-time employees.
Jennifer (Jill) Kirk
Assistant Director of Development
Ms. Kirk has an extensive background in fundraising and development for non-profit organizations. Prior to joining MPC, Jill was the development office coordinator for Condell Health Care Foundation in Libertyville where she assisted in raising $1.5 million in 1999, including implementing their first endowment fund. Jill holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and is pursing a Master’s degree from the University of Chicago.
James C. LaBelle
Executive Director, Business Leaders for Transportation
MPC, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and Chicago Metropolis 2020 are co-leaders of Business Leaders for Transportation, which serves as the collective voice of business on strategies to reduce traffic gridlock and improve metropolitan Chicago’s surface transportation network. Mr. LaBelle has more than 20 years of experience with state and local government issues and is a member of the General Assembly’s Illinois Growth Task Force. Currently chairman of the Lake County Board, Jim will assume responsibility as chief strategist, spokesperson, and coalition manager, part-time this fall and then full-time in 2001. He is not running for re-election. Jim will build on the solid foundation laid by consultant Steve Schlickman. He holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University.
John McCarron
Vice President for Strategy and Communications
Mr. McCarron will spearhead MPC’s expanded approach to communications in order to increase the effectiveness of our regional advocacy efforts. John comes to MPC from the Chicago Tribune, where he worked for more than two decades. He was named to the newspaper’s editorial board in 1992 and also wrote a weekly column on urban affairs, where he gained further knowledge about planning and development issues. Earlier in his career John served as financial editor for two years and started as an urban affairs reporter. In 1988, John won the Heywood Broun National Journalism Award for a series of Tribune stories on the politics of poverty in Chicago. John received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.