Community, Relationships, and the Power of Place

Bio: Keri Blackwell, LISC’s Deputy Director for Programs, manages LISC’s Civic Life Chicago programs, which encompass safety, health, youth, arts and development of stronger neighborhood networks. Blackwell served as a neighborhood program officer for LISC's signature program, New Communities Program (NCP), a comprehensive community development effort in 28 Chicago neighborhoods led by 16 lead community based agencies. She worked with local and citywide partners to create Neighborhood Sports Chicago – a program focused on leveraging sports, youth mentorship, health education and active living to reduce youth violence and increase neighborhood engagement in safety. Prior to joining LISC Chicago, Blackwell served as a program officer for National LISC.

Education: She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and social welfare from University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Bio: David McDowell is the Senior Organizer with The Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP). SWOP's mission is to build a broad-based organization of churches, mosques, synagogues, schools, and other institutions in Southwest Chicago, which will enable families to exercise common values, determine their own future and connect with each other to improve life in their neighborhoods. To this end, leaders of SWOP have dedicated themselves to building relationships across racial, ethnic, generational and faith differences and to bringing the common concerns of their institutions into the public life of the community as they develop the capacity to act collectively and "stand for the whole." Formed in 1996, SWOP is known for its fight to end predatory lending and foreclosures, its work to reduce violence, its efforts to win rights and protect the civil liberties of immigrants, and its commitment to achievement in public schools through the Parents-as-Mentors, Grow Your Own teachers, Elev8, TeenReach and VOYCE initiatives. SWOP is also the Chicago Lawn lead agency for LISC’s New Communities Program. SWOP’s 28 member institutions are located in the Southwest Chicago neighborhoods of Chicago Lawn, West Lawn, Gage Park, West Elsdon and Ashburn and represent more than 30,000 residents.

Bio: Scott Goldstein brings twenty years of experience in community development, neighborhood redevelopment, housing, and economic development. He is a principal of Teska Associates, a community planning, design, and development economics firm based in Evanston, Illinois. With Teska he has led neighborhood planning and economic development efforts in Chicago, Bloomington, and Decatur, IL; Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN; Dubuque, IA; and Hammond and Evansville, IN. He works with both public and non-profit organizations, helping communities plan and raise resources to implement projects.

Education: B.A. Tufts University, Medford, MA M.S.U.P., Columbia University, New York, NY

Key Publications: Washington Park Quality of Life Plan, Chicago Greater Frogtown Development Corporation Strategic Plan, St. Paul Community Development Stategy, Habitat for Humanity International Smart Communities, Chicago Digital Excellence Initiative Ten Ways to Make Your Community More Competitive, Urban Land Institute

Other Publications: Sustainable Decatur Village of Northbrook Downtown TOD Plan

Past Assignments: Instructor, Urban Policy Analysis and Neighborhood Planning courses, Northwestern University M.P.P.A. Program Speaker, Google Fiber, Kansas City, Missouri

Bio: Eileen Figel is an independent planning consultant focusing on planning, community and economic development, and public policy. She previously served as the founding director for the Institute for Comprehensive Community Development, a non-profit venture of LISC designed to build the capacity of community developers and others engaged in comprehensive community development. Figel also served as Mayor Richard M. Daley’s First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, and has worked as a municipal planner for the cities of Baltimore, Long Beach, and Highland Park, Illinois.

Education: Figel holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Illinois, and a bachelor’s degree in management science with a minor in mathematics from the University of California at San Diego.

Key Publications: Figel, Eileen. “Successful Planning and Implementation: Key Lessons From Woonsocket and West Indianapolis.” The Institute for Comprehensive Community Development. Ed. Patrick Barry. July 2010 www.instituteccd.org Figel, Eileen. “Getting the most from sports, arts and culture.” The Institute for Comprehensive Community Development. Ed. Carl Vogel. November 5, 2012 www.instituteccd.org

Other Publications: Figel, Eileen. “One small town’s many changes .” The Institute for Comprehensive Community Development. Ed. Carl Vogel. September 17, 2012 www.instituteccd.org Figel, Eileen. “Promise Neighborhoods: Hope for a better community.” The Institute for Comprehensive Community Development. Ed. Patrick Reardon. November 14, 2011 www.instituteccd.org

Past Assignments: Comprehensive Community Development In A Rural Setting; Indiana Association for Community and Economic Development (August 28, 2012 ▪ Indianapolis, IN) Exploring Low-Income Neighborhoods in the Regional Context (moderator); Connecting to Markets Seminar; Institute for Comprehensive Community Development, Urban Institute, and Federal Reserve Bank (June 20, 2012 ▪ Chicago, IL)