40 Years of Leading Great
At a time when the Greater Chicago Region stands at the crossroads on an array of urgent socioeconomic challenges, Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC) is working to cultivate a pipeline of new civic leaders to collectively shape a brighter future.
Founded in 1983 by the Chicago Community Trust, LGC is the region’s premiere civic leadership development organization. LGC convenes, connects and activates the area’s most promising leaders to address critical issues in the region.
LGC offers two distinct fellowship programs, the Signature Fellows Program and Daniel Burnham Fellowship, that equip participants with the knowledge and network they need to drive meaningful progress in the wider community. “Our program centers around selecting a cross-section of leaders to collaborate and advance transformative change,” says LGC CEO Myetie Hamilton.
Hamilton was appointed in 2023 as the first Black woman to lead the organization, coinciding with its 40th anniversary. With 25 years of leadership experience in Chicago’s education, nonprofit and public sectors, she was also a participant in LGC’s fellowship program in 2016. Under Hamilton’s leadership, LGC is continuing to innovate, leveraging the city as a living classroom, to develop the next generation of civic leaders.
This seven-part series of articles and videos tells the story of LGC and the power of cross-sector collaboration to build bold solutions. Through personal narratives and case studies, these pieces highlight LGC’s evolution and how its civic leadership development programs are making a positive impact across the city and region.
READ THE STORY
Explore LGC’s Signature Fellows Program through the eyes of its participants as they share why they applied for the program and how they collaborate across sectors to solve the area’s most challenging socioeconomic problems.
Using the city as a living classroom
CEO Conversation: Myetie Hamilton
Discover how LGC Fellows have championed equitable development and worked across sectors to drive positive change for Pullman and neighborhoods across the city.
Fellows in action: Revitalizing our neighborhoods
READ THE STORY
Learn about LGC’s civic leadership accelerator for C-Suite executives through its participants as they describe the fellowship’s impact on their ability to drive economic progress and workforce development in our region.
The Daniel Burnham Fellowship for Executives
READ THE STORY
Take a deep dive into the ways LGC Fellows regularly step up to face the region’s most pressing challenges — from gaps in digital access to scaling services for during the migrant surge — and a major initiative to address gun violence.
Fellows in action: Cross-sector collaborations to address gun violence and more
READ THE STORY
Myetie Hamilton, the first Black woman to hold the role of CEO at Leadership Greater Chicago, is responsible for leading LGC to greater levels of strategic influence, impact and innovation as the region’s premier organization for fostering and growing civic leadership.
Hamilton brings more than 25 years of experience in education, nonprofit and public sectors to the position. She had an extensive career with Chicago Public Schools and recently served as president of the Chicago Park District and a commissioner for the Public Building Commission of Chicago.
In this CEO Conversation with Crain’s Group Publisher and Executive Editor Jim Kirk, Hamilton reflects on the 40-year legacy of LGC and discusses the organization’s plans to develop Chicago’s changemakers of the future.
From LGC’s first class to impact today
A video interview with Ariel Investments Chairman, Co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer John Rogers, Jr., LGC Fellow since 1985.
A video interview with The Chicago Community Trust President and CEO Andrea Sáenz, LGC Fellow since 2009 and Daniel Burnham Fellow.
Two transformational leadership experiences
LGC is the only organization in the region that dares to bring together high-performing individuals of diverse backgrounds from the private, nonprofit, and public sectors to tackle the area’s most pressing issues.
At a time when the Greater Chicago Region stands at the crossroads on an array of urgent socioeconomic challenges, Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC) is working to cultivate a pipeline of new civic leaders to collectively shape a brighter future.
Founded in 1983 by the Chicago Community Trust, LGC is the region’s premiere civic leadership development organization. LGC convenes, connects and activates the area’s most promising leaders to address critical issues in the region.
LGC offers two distinct fellowship programs, the Signature Fellows Program and Daniel Burnham Fellowship, that equip participants with the knowledge and network they need to drive meaningful progress in the wider community. “Our program centers around selecting a cross-section of leaders to collaborate and advance transformative change,” says LGC CEO Myetie Hamilton.
Hamilton was appointed in 2023 as the first Black woman to lead the organization, coinciding with its 40th anniversary. With 25 years of leadership experience in Chicago’s education, nonprofit and public sectors, she was also a participant in LGC’s fellowship program in 2016. Under Hamilton’s leadership, LGC is continuing to innovate, leveraging the city as a living classroom, to develop the next generation of civic leaders.
This seven-part series of articles and videos tells the story of LGC and the power of cross-sector collaboration to build bold solutions. Through personal narratives and case studies, these pieces highlight LGC’s evolution and how its civic leadership development programs are making a positive impact across the city and region.
VISIT LGC
Learn more about the Signature Fellows Program and Daniel Burnham Fellowship.