Bridget Gainer, Cook County Board Commissioner – Tenth District
CCLBA Chairwoman
Bridget Gainer is the Commissioner on the Cook County Board for the 10th District representing the North Lakefront and Northwest side. Commissioner Gainer has over 20 years of experience in the non-profit, public and private sectors and her career has provided her a strong foundation in finance, human services and the workings of local government. Read More
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
Calvin L. Holmes, President — Chicago Community Loan Fund
CCLBA Treasurer
Calvin L. Holmes has served as the President of the Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) since 1998. 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