Michael Prischman for the Metropolitan Planning Council
King Harris, MPC's New Board of Governors Chair
In December, MPC welcomed a new class of Board members and officers, and with the start of a new year, we welcome two new staff members. I continue to be impressed by the talented individuals who choose to contribute their time and talents to make this region more vibrant. Yes, MPC is about creating and implementing better ideas, but those ideas come from and affect real people. Both staff and volunteers have a passion for improving the lives and livelihoods of metropolitan Chicagoans, and the expertise to help MPC do exactly that.
Take MPC’s new Board of Governors Chair King Harris, chairman of Harris Holdings, Inc., and former senior executive with Chicago Metropolis 2020. King was the first employer to partner with MPC on Employer-Assisted Housing in 2000, and has served on MPC’s Board since 2006, and co-chaired our Housing and Community Development Committee for the past two years. His relationships span countless spheres and his expertise in both housing policy and in business will help MPC take some giant leaps forward.
Of course, I want to recognize and thank outgoing Board Chair Lee Mitchell, managing director at Thoma Bravo, Inc. Lee not only served for four years – twice the typical two-year term – but he is a returning chair, having served as our Board Leader in the ‘80s. He has led MPC with grace through significant growth, an office move, and a tough economy. I have relied on his ideas and advice over the years and don’t plan to stop. We are fortunate that our former Chairs are among our most active continuing Board members.
I would also like to brag about two new MPC staff members: Nancy Firfer and Marisa Novara.
Nancy Firfer, who joins MPC as a senior advisor, was most recently in a similar role with Chicago Metropolis 2020, a nonprofit organization created in 1999 by the Commercial Club of Chicago to advocate for better regional planning and smart investments to promote the region’s long-term health. Prior to joining Chicago Metropolis 2020, Nancy spent 24 years as an elected official, including two terms as Glenview’s president. During her tenure, she oversaw the redevelopment of the Glenview Naval Air Station into a highly successful mixed-income community that includes a wide range of housing, open space and recreation, and commercial and retail development. She also served on the Northbrook/Glenview Elementary Board of Education and the Northbrook/Glenview High School Board of Education. Nancy’s housing and government savvy are already proving to be huge assets to MPC.
Marisa Novara joins MPC as a Community Building Initiative Associate. Marisa comes to MPC with a planning, philanthropic, and affordable housing development background. She is finishing up her urban planning master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and through a program in Milan. Prior to her year in Milan, Marisa worked with Lawndale Christian Development Corp, MPC’s close partner in North Lawndale, managing their real estate projects. Before then, she was at the Steans Family Foundation.
In December, MPC also elected new officers and Board members, and appointed new members to our reconstituted Resource Board. Welcome to our incoming class of officers and Board!
New MPC officers, all of whom will join the Executive Committee, are:
- Chair: King Harris, Chairman, Harris Holdings, Inc.
- Vice Chairs: Joseph A. Gregoire, Regional President-Illinois Banking, PNC Bank; and Jesse H. Ruiz, Principal, Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP
- Co-Vice Chair Development: James P. Stirling, Senior Advisor, UBS (joining Paul Carlisle, Executive Vice President, Wintrust)
- Treasurer: Lisa Snow, Principal, Davis & Hosfield Consulting LLC
Incoming members of the Board of Governors are:
- Rita R. Athas, Executive Director, World Business Chicago
- Larry Borgard, Vice Chairman and CEO, Peoples Gas
- Dr. Byron Brazier, Pastor, Apostolic Church of God
- Carole L. Brown, Senior Managing Director, Siebert Brandford Shank & Co., LLC
- Christopher B. Burke, President, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.
- Ellen Carnahan, Principal, Machrie Enterprises, LLC
- Pedro J. Cevallos-Candau, Executive Vice President, Primera Engineers, Ltd.
- Gregory T. Mutz, CEO, Amli Residential Properties Trust
- Paul E. Nowicki, Assistant VP, Government and Policy, BNSF Railway Company
- Jorge Ramirez, President, Chicago Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
- Douglas P. Regan, President, The Wealth Management Group, Northern Trust
MPC also welcomes five new appointments to its Resource Board:
- Maria Hibbs, Executive Director, The Partnership for New Communities
- Chinwe Onyeagoro, CEO & Co-Founder, OH Community Partners
- Robert G. Reiter, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer, Chicago Federation of Labor
- Christopher Robling, Principal, Jayne Thompson & Associates, Ltd.
- Zandra Zuno, Senior Vice President, Practice Leader, Golin Harris International
I’m confident these new people and leaders will help make 2011 an outstanding year for MPC. If you know them, help me welcome them to MPC by thanking them for giving their time and talents to improve our region.