The Greater Chatham Initiative

The Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI) is a comprehensive, innovative and ambitious effort to align the growth trajectory of the Greater Chatham community -- comprised of the Chatham, Auburn Gresham, Avalon Park and Greater Grand Crossing community areas -- with that of the broader metropolitan Chicago region, for the mutual benefit of both. It aims to enhance Greater Chatham’s status as a community of opportunity – one that connects its residents, businesses and other assets to regional markets, as development and deployment of these assets are critical to the growth of the regional economy. It also aims to strengthen the community’s position as a community of choice – augmenting its ability to attract and retain the core of its historic population: middle-class African-American families. This novel and transformative effort requires the creation of an equally innovative organizational infrastructure for effective implementation of the GCI Plan. A “distributed work” model is envisioned for the organization, with the Executive Director at its center. The Assistant Director of Economic Development will play a critical role in implementing the GCI Plan and creating a new, replicable model for neighborhood development throughout the City of Chicago and beyond.