Posted 31 days ago
4 MIN READ-- Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA) and the Chicago Loop Alliance Foundation hosted their sold-out Annual Meeting on Friday, February 28. Nearly 500 key Loop stakeholders gathered during the breakfast meeting held at Convene Willis Tower. A fireside chat featuring Chicago civic and cultural leader, Michelle T. Boone, and former CLA Executive Director, Ty Tabing, focused on the Loop's impact across culture, commerce and community for the past two decades, with a closer look on key investments for the Loop's future success.
“Culture, commerce and community are at the intersection of a world-class district, and the interconnectivity of these three tenets is what makes the Loop unlike few other downtowns across the country and world,” said Michael Edwards, President and CEO of Chicago Loop Alliance. “As we reviewed the success of the past two decades, we look forward to the innovation and resilience that the Loop will continue to demonstrate through distinctive programming, revitalized business, and positive collaboration.”
2025 PROGRAMMING ANNOUNCED
This year’s initiatives expand programming beyond Sundays on State – which hopes to return on September 7 and October 5. Additionally, a new monthlong celebration of autumn features the arrival of the Better Cities Film Festival on October 9-11; the 11th Annual Arts in the Dark parade on October 18; a Loop-centric bar crawl on October 25; and more. 
New board of Directors inductees
Chicago Loop Alliance inducted new board leadership, including Kemena Brooks, Vice President of Development at The Community Builders. The full new leadership slate is as follows:
Chair: Kemena Brooks, Vice President of Development, The Community Builders
Vice Chair: Charles Smith, Principal, Chicago Office Practice Lead, CannonDesign
Treasurer: Laura Graves, Vice President of Planning and Business Operations, ABC 7 Chicago
Secretary: LaShaun “Sah” Jackson, CEO, CIRCLE Foundation/Innovations High School
Immediate Past Chair: Judie Green, Major Gifts Officer, The Auditorium
Eight new members, inducted into the Chicago Loop Alliance and Foundation’s board of directors at the meeting represent a wide breadth of industry knowledge, including real estate development, finance, advertising, hospitality, fashion and design:
- Ron Chaille, Arch Advertising and Loop resident
- Misoon Kong, Hilton Chicago
- Shari Massey, The Joffrey Ballet
- Renauld Mitchell, Moody Nolan Architects
- Mary Person, Clayco
- Michael Reschke, The Prime Group
- Rian Walker, DL3 Realty L.P.
- William T. Villarreal, Wintrust
The full list of Board of Directors members can be found here.
2024 impact report
Chicago Loop Alliance unveiled its digital and print 2024 Impact Report, which summarizes the progress of the Loop and the organization.
Thank you to our sponsors!
The Chicago Loop Alliance and Chicago Loop Alliance Foundation Annual Meeting was sponsored by Platinum Sponsors Streetplus and The Prime Group; Gold Sponsor CannonDesign; Silver Sponsors The Auditorium, Bannerville, CenTrio, JW Marriott and Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel, and Willis Tower; Bronze Sponsors ABC7/WLS Television, Beacon Capital Partners, Broadway In Chicago, Choose Chicago, CIBC, CIRCLE Foundation, Clayco, Continua Interiors, Hard Surface Finishers, Inc., Hawthorne Strategy Group, Macy’s, Mid-America Real Estate Corp., Palmer House and Hilton Chicago, Premier Landscape Contractors, SP+ and Millennium Garages A Metropolis Company, The Dearborn, The Joffrey Ballet, The LaSalle Chicago, Wintrust, Yellowstone Landscape; and Venue Supporter Convene.
