Community Facilities as an Anchor for Revitalization

Bio: Chris-Annmarie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies from the Caribbean School of Architecture at the University of Technology in 1998. Shortly after receiving her degree, her family relocated to Massachusetts and in 2001 she moved to Chicago to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago. While in graduate school, she was awarded several design and academic merit scholarships, a teaching assistantship position, and was nominated for the SOM and Schiff Foundation fellowships. She also spent a semester in Rome studying historical design and its application to contemporary design and in 2004 was awarded the Martin Roche Fellowship for independent study which allowed her to continue her studies of urban and housing strategies for South African cities. During graduate school, she interned at Xavier Vendrell Studio working on single family residences and landscape projects. In 2004 she joined Wheeler Kearns Architects working on several projects including the recently completed Inspiration Kitchens in East Garfield Park. She is currently serving as Project Architect for a 32,000 sq ft building renovation for the Wolcott School, Chicago’s first high school designed for students with learning disabilities and differences and a private residence located in Chicago’s Gold Coast. She is taking the Architectural Registration Examinations. Born in Jamaica Chris-Annmarie became a U.S. citizen in 2004. She maintains an interest in literature, traveling, cooking and knitting. Chris-Annmarie and her husband, Grant Gibson, architect and founder of CAMES/gibson live in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood with their daughter Eleanor.

Bio: I am the Associate Director of Social Enterprise for Inspiration Corporation. I manage both Inspiration Kitchens locations which are social enterprise job training programs. Both restaurants work with Homeless and ex-offenders teaching skills to get individuals out of poverty.

Education: Professional Cooking Certificate from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago.