Board of Directors

Xochitl Flores — Bureau Chief – Cook County Economic Development

Xochitl Flores is the Bureau Chief of Economic Development for Cook County. In this role, Flores oversees the activities of the three departments within the Bureau, which include the Department of Planning and Development, Building and Zoning, and the Zoning Board of Appeals.  She is responsible for leading the work of the Bureau, collaborating with the seven counties of northeastern Illinois and the City of Chicago to develop and implement initiatives to grow the regional economy. Read more

Diane Limas, Board President – Communities United

Diane Limas servcies as the Leader and Board President for Communities United, a non-profit social justice organization located on the northwest side of Chicago.  Emy Brawley serves as Director of Land Preservation for Openlands, a regional leader in conservation. Communities United strives to be a “learning organization,” continually developing our analysis of economic, racial, gender, LGBTQ and disability justice as critical lenses through which we approach our work.   Read more

Peter M. Friedman, Partner – Elrod Friedman LLP

Peter has an accomplished and broad real estate practice and is the founding partner of Elrod Friedman LLP, a law firm specializing in representing exclusively public sector clients.  Mr. Friedman previously was a partner at Holland & Knight, and represented private and public sector clients in all phases of real estate finance, acquisition, development, zoning and land use matters. He counsels property owners, pension funds, tenants and developers in a variety of real estate and transactional projects. Read more

Thurman “Tony” Smith, Senior Vice President – PNC Bank

Tony Smith is the Senior Vice President and Community Development Market Manager for PNC Community Development Banking. In this capacity, Mr. Smith leads PNC’s efforts in strategic investments, lending, public service, technical assistance and financial education. Read more

James Planey, Founding Principal — Lee & Associates of Illinois, LLC

James Planey, an industrial real estate professional, is the founding principal of Lee & Associates of Illinois, LLC where he has worked since 2002. Prior to founding Lee & Assoc., Mr. Planey spent ten years (1992-2002) working for Collier Bennett & Kahnweiler, a premier Chicago-area commercial and industrial development firm. Read more

Lyneir Richardson, Executive Director — Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development, Rutgers Business School

Lyneir Richardson is a faculty member and Executive Director of The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development at Rutgers Business School. Lyneir is also a lead consultant on Chicago TREND, an initiative aiming to stimulate retail development to accelerate neighborhood transformation in Chicago. Read more

Sarah L. Ware, Principal & Managing Broker — The Carter Ware Group

Sarah L. Ware is a principal and managing broker at The Carter Ware Group, Inc., a real estate firm that specializes in property sales, purchases and management; market research; and management consulting for investors or real estate assets, in Chicago where she has worked since 2007. Read more

Richard Monocchio — Executive Director, Cook County Housing Authority

Richard J. Monocchio has dedicated his professional career to public service for nearly 30 years.  In 2011, Mr. Monocchio was appointed Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Cook County, where he continues to be an advocate for safe, affordable housing.

Under Mr. Monocchio’s leadership, dozens of recreational, academic and vocational programs have been implemented to connect people, opportunities, and communities, ultimately helping residents become self-sufficient and achieve a better quality of life.  Monocchio is affiliated with numerous civic and community organizations. He is a board member to the non-profit Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA), and serves on the Cook County Workforce Board.  READ MORE