CIVIC LEADERSHIP
WOODLAWN COMMUNITY SUMMIT
The Woodlawn Community Summit is a collaboration of neighbors, youth groups, elected leaders, business owners, and community stakeholders seeking to promote the comprehensive growth and well-being of Woodlawn and its surrounding communities.
With leadership from the South East Chicago Commission, the Summit has grown from its infancy into a standing-room-only community leadership model worthy of recognition and replication as a model for civic engagement.
The Woodlawn Community, including communities on Chicago’s mid-south side, is undergoing a historic transformation. The Obama Center has begun construction, new housing developments and important infrastructure is planned; all for a new and exciting opportunity for residents, stakeholders and business owners.
Join us for this annual event, designed by residents for residents. You are invited to learn more about the proposed improvements for community engagement, safety, housing, sustainability and overall development. And the Summit is a great connection for a strong network of resources and support.
17th Annual Woodlawn Community Summit
The Woodlawn Community Summit Advisory Committee is excited to announce the 17th Annual Woodlawn Community Summit, a community-driven forum aimed at fostering unity, engaging in thoughtful discourse, and creating lasting connections among residents of Chicago.
Celebrating 17 Years of Service
Saturday, March 21, 2026
8:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Edith Abbott Hall, Lobby
969 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
8:00 am | Attendee Check In |
8:15 am | Coffee and Conversations |
9:00 am | Welcome and Opening Remarks |
9:15 am | Special Introductions |
9:30 am | Plenary Discussion Deep Roots, Strong Future: Connecting history, home, and hope for sustainable community progress |
10:45 am | Breakout Sessions |
12:00 pm | Wrap Up |
This is a special invitation to reunite our neighbors, stakeholders and business leaders to celebrate the 17th Annual Woodlawn Community Summit and take a fresh look ateconomic development, sustainability, and housing.
“This occasion offers an exciting opportunity for everyone in attendance to join fellow members of your community and generate ideas that implement solutions. I commend the work you have done to help make Illinois a stronger and more enjoyable state.”
– Governor JB Pritzker
JOIN US ON SATURDAY MARCH 31, 2026
OPENING PLENARY SESSION
Deep Roots, Strong Future: The South Side’s Path Forward
This session highlights new and emerging developments shaping Chicago’s South Side and what they mean for the future of community planning.
Speakers and community voices will reflect on the South Side’s legacy of leadership, creativity, and collective action, while examining pathways to equitable development that honor residents, preserve culture, and invest in long-term neighborhood stability.
Grounded in the area’s rich history and neighborhood identity, attendees will hear insights on upcoming projects, evolving planning approaches, and strategies for building community-led progress rooted in place and possibility.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Housing
Rent and Housing Affordability Trends in Woodlawn: Reality vs. Perception
Housing costs in Woodlawn are changing, and many residents are feeling it. Rents have increased over the past few years, and there is a growing gap between what people think is happening and what the numbers actually show. This community conversation is a chance to talk openly about affordability, stability, and what it means for neighbors who live and work here.
We will look at current rent levels in Woodlawn, how they have shifted recently, and how many households are spending more than they can afford on housing. We will also discuss practical options that exist today, including new buyers programs, commercial rental and purchase, and long-term tools that help keep housing within reach.
You will hear from residential and commercial brokers and a local developer who are actively working in the Woodlawn market.
Economic Development
Navigating Uncertainty: Practical Strategies for Small Business Growth
This workshop is designed to help small business owners adapt and grow during uncertain economic times. Rather than focusing on predicting every challenge, the session emphasizes making thoughtful, practical decisions using available resources that build long-term stability.
Through guided conversations with experienced speakers, the workshop will highlight key challenges and strategies relevant to both newer businesses and more established companies. Topics will include responding to economic shifts, changing customer behavior, workforce challenges, managing cash flow, planning ahead, and building trusted relationships with advisors and partners.
By bringing together different perspectives and stages of experience, this session helps connect agility with experience and provides participants with clear, actionable ideas to turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities.
Sustainability
Blacks in Green Overview:
The People’s History of Woodlawn! YOUR STORY, YOUR GLORY!
Join this 90-minute immersive, neighbor-driven launch experience where Woodlawn residents and friends don’t just learn local history—they build it together in real time!
Through a high-energy, joy-filled format that blends community storytelling, live vision-boarding, and gamified civic pride ~ participants can make short video memories in the BIG Story Booth…design clues for the “Woodlawn: Place of Pioneers” treasure hunt this summer…map out South Lakefront wayfinding signage installs…or quilt-up icons of history, home, and hope for exhibition at the Woodlawn & South Lakefront Visitors Center this spring! This kickoff turns Woodlawn’s people, places, and defining moments into a celebration of our Great Migration roots and sustainable economic future. Grab a passport and hit the road with Blacks in Green on this epic hunt for history!
Community Partnerships
Engaging with the University: Building Connections for a Stronger Woodlawn
Explore how the Woodlawn community can connect with the University of Chicago through opportunities in health, safety, arts and culture, education, and economic development.
This interactive session highlights pathways for engagement, access to shared resources, and collaboration—inviting residents to be part of shaping a strong and inclusive future for Woodlawn.
Join the conversation led by Wendy Walker Williams, Executive Director of Community Partnerships at the University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement.
Summit Advisory Committee Members
|
Alicia August Wright |
Owner |
A’Vents by August |
|
Sandra Bivens |
Executive Director |
51st Street Business Association |
|
Diane Burnham |
Executive Director |
South East Chicago Commission |
|
Naomi Davis |
Founder, Executive Director |
Blacks in Green |
|
Felicia Dawson |
Vice President |
Preservation of Affordable Housing |
|
Liz Gardner |
Co-Founder |
Woodlawn Community Summit |
|
Paula M. Grantt |
Vice President |
Associated Bank, N.A. |
|
Jawanda Hairston |
Community Leader |
Woodlawn Community Summit |
|
Terri Kilbane, PhD |
Professor Emeritus |
Loyola University |
|
Deidre McGraw |
Co-Founder |
Woodlawn Community Summit and D’Luxe Connections |
|
Kamaria Ngozi |
Community Leader |
Woodlawn Community Summit |
|
Alice Smith Jones |
Community Leader/Artist |
Woodlawn Botanical Nature Center & International Spirit |
|
Raymonde Vance |
Office Manager |
South East Chicago Commission |
|
Suzanne Waddell |
Communications |
Blacks in Green |
|
Wendy Walker Williams |
Executive Director, Community Partnerships |
University of Chicago, Office of Civic Engagement |
|
Ticina Williams |
Owner |
Creativiti Custom Solutions |
Tiffany Odeh |
Vice President |
Associated Bank |
Founded in 2009
Featured Speakers
Participation
History of the Summit
In the Fall of 2009, resident of the Kenwood Homeowners Association saw a need to connect with other neighbors in Woodlawn. After attending a meeting with the Woodlawn Neighbors Association, the two groups worked together and organized the first Woodlawn Community Summit: Building Bridges One Block Club at a Time. The University of Chicago Office of Civic Engagement was the first stakeholder who offered resources in order to make the first event a success.
On Saturday, March 31, 2012, the Woodlawn Summit Steering Committee convened the Third Annual Woodlawn Community Summit “A Call to Action” at The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. The Summit brought together a coalition of residents, neighborhood associations, visionaries, community and civic officials to discuss safety, urban agriculture, local business districts, and the Green Healthy Neighborhoods Land Use Plan during summit.
Within seven years, the Summit grew from 100 attendees to over 450 participants. Special guests have included national television personality, the Honorable Judge Greg Mathis; the late Bishop Arthur M. Brazier; Dr. Brazier; representatives from the Mayor’s Office City of Chicago and Michael A. Strautmanis as Vice President of Civic Engagement, all of whom are interested in the vitality and growth of the Woodlawn Community.
As an outgrowth of the Summit, The Woodlawn Peace Project and The Woodlawn Chamber of Commerce were born. The Woodlawn Peace Project is a jobs-for-youth program and received its first round of funding. The Chamber is a business advocacy, education and support organization that works in partnership with its members, residents and local officials to increase economic development and competitiveness for the Woodlawn community.
Woodlawn is now a stronger and essential community in the rebuilding of Chicago’s southside. We know we are stronger when we work together, and we are excited about the next five years of development.