Michael Simmons 826 W. Windsor #2W Chicago, IL 60640
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Michael Simmons 826 W. Windsor #2W Chicago, IL 60640 EXPERIENCE Obama Foundation June 2020 - present Deputy Director, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance • Serve as lead strategist for the My Brother's Keeper initiative for Chicago; responsibilities include managing a portfolio of local block level community organizations serving boys and young men of color, and providing technical assistance and knowledge sharing with MBK chapters in Chicago and across the country. • Building on the work my firm, Blue Sky Strategies & Co., led in drafting the My Brother's Keeper Action Plan for Chicago, publicly released in May 2019, by convening civic leaders in Chicago and developing a five year strategy to create and institutionalize systemic changes needed to achieve broader justice for Black, Latinx, and Native American youth across Chicago. Blue Sky Strategies & Co. October 2017- present Founder & CEO • Blue Sky focuses on these areas: equitable urban planning, empowering youth, government accountability, and racial equity in public policy. • Developed a racial equity framework for the Cook County Consolidated Plan meant to address historical injustices like redlining; adopted by the County Board in July 2020 • Assisted minority and women-owned small businesses with PPP loan applications during the first two months of COVID-19 for Illinois Action for Children • Organized and led three focus groups that included more than 200 people from the north lakefront, south side, and North Lawndale areas in the summer of 2019 to develop a racial equity framework for Chicago; focus groups included the ex-incarcerated, the housing unstable, small business owners, teachers, social workers, and low-wage earners • Organized four community planning meetings for residents living near the 95th Street corridor intended to articulate a vision for new retail near the new Red Line Station Sabbatical, Chicago, West Africa, Europe September 2016 – June 2017 • Walked more than 50 miles over 6 weeks through several sections of Chicago and video-grammed my thoughts while walking in light of negative stereotypes about different neighborhoods and people living in them • Traveled solo through 7 countries in West Africa to learn about my distant roots as an Black-American • Also traveled through Europe, mostly through the Balkans to contrast life in West Africa with countries in Eastern Europe City of Chicago, Department of Planning and Development October 2013 – August 2016 Deputy Commissioner (Senior Staff) • Collaborated with developers, community organizers, city attorneys, and Mayor’s office to produce legislation that requires Single Room Occupancy apartment owners notify tenants and the City of Chicago 6 months prior to a sale, and allow City to work with nonprofit housing developers to explore financing options to maintain affordability for vulnerable tenants • Served as principal policy adviser to the task force comprised of for-profit and nonprofit developers, community organizers, and policy experts, convened by Mayor Emanuel to expand the Affordable Requirements Ordinance to produce new revenue for affordable housing creation over five years • Co-led interdepartmental effort to streamline process between DPD and Department of Buildings to shorten timeframe of new construction permits • Led 2013 drafting of federal Promise Zone application with more than two dozen stakeholders including MacArthur Foundation, University of Chicago, and city delegate agencies • Analyzed state level legislation with potential impact on the City of Chicago • Proposed policy changes to TIF program to require more local construction and worker hours on TIF-supported projects in high-unemployment Chicago neighborhoods • Developed policy proposals intended to yield an increase in affordable housing units in areas that lack adequate supply and assist homeowners in gentrifying areas of Chicago at risk of being priced out • Drafted and standardized first-ever policies and procedures for Department of Planning and Development programs across all bureaus • Managed 2014 federal audit of Department of Planning CDBG and HOME federal fund. Clean audit resulted with no funds owed back to the federal government • Served as lead city planner for 12 Chicago community areas on the south and north sides (2 planning districts) including Englewood, Auburn-Gresham, Albany Park, and Lincoln Square • Produced planning templates for 2 planning districts, convened community leader meetings, and drafted planning deliverables for each area • Led ward tours for more than a dozen Chicago alderman as part of the Chicago Neighborhoods Now planning effort City of Chicago; Office of the Mayor May 2011 – October 2013 Policy Director (Senior Staff) • Served as senior staff level issue expert for food access, affordable housing, foreclosure, vacant properties, homelessness, anti-poverty initiatives, LGBTQ issues, public health, and local economic development. • Developed and executed work plan that led to the development of more than a half dozen new grocery stores in Chicago food deserts, including the groundbreaking Whole Foods which opened in Englewood in September 2016 • Led negotiation and secured final legislative passage of milestone ordinance to require banks to provide tenants in foreclosed rental properties adequate notice of eviction (up to 12 months) or provide tenant a relocation check • Drafted and secured passage of legislative amendments to tighten Chicago’s Vacant Property Ordinance to require banks to secure and maintain vacant properties • Convened banks and led negotiations with City of Chicago around follow up changes to Vacant Property Ordinance • Convened stakeholders, including the Police Department and community leaders, and led effort to draft the first legislation enacted in Chicago that provides civil safety and security to transgender people during interactions with police officers • Drafted and secured passage of ordinance to legalize food trucks • Identified $3M in city budget to fund the launch of 3 lead initiatives in the Plan to End Homelessness, including construction of a new drop-in center for teenage mothers, additional overnight beds for youth, and job placement services for adults • Brokered MOU to launch pilot through which Walgreens began sourcing produce locally from urban farms in Chicago’s food deserts • Negotiated MOU to launch innovative tele-health pilot addressing childhood obesity through Rush University • Drafted and secured passage of ordinance to legalize sidewalk produce carts to bring fresh produce and jobs to low-income neighborhoods • Secured $500,000 from two foundations to pilot 5 new farmers’ markets in Chicago’s food deserts • Stepped in to drive efforts to significantly overhaul the Chicago Housing Authority’s Plan Forward policy docket in favor of policy serving residents’ needs Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer August 2009 – May 2011 Policy Director § Collaborated with other state and city of Chicago government, think tanks, chambers of commerce, and community organizations to move legislation related to our office’s policy goals § Audited Circuit Court’s Foreclosure Mediation program and produced written report with recommended changes both to program and broader foreclosure policy development at County, City and State levels § Managed Commissioner’s relationship with community groups, social services, and business community § Identified revenue streams and fees by department and produced brief reports for each. Used reports to find savings in Fiscal Year 2010 and 2011 budgets § Analyzed Fiscal Year 2011 budget and found money to successfully fund CeaseFire program for Uptown neighborhood § Created and led health needs assessment for Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods, and produced written report with findings and our office’s health care policy recommendations § Developed partnerships between Cook County Health and Hospital System and local health care providers in the district to enhance levels of care, with a focus on labor and delivery and closing gap in dental care for the very low- income residents on the north lakefront Senator Dick Durbin (IL), Washington, DC February 2008 – August 2009 Legislative Correspondent § Wrote official correspondence letters to constituents on economic policy, taxes, budget, retirement and pensions, financial services, small business, welfare, housing and mortgage policy, and commerce § Represented the Senator in meetings with industry representatives from Illinois § Drafted memos and issue briefs, and monitored pending legislation for senior economic policy adviser, Legislative Director, and Senator Staff Assistant January 2007 – February 2008 § Advanced the Senator at Washington events and speeches Senator Barack Obama, Washington, DC May 2005 – August 2005 Intern § Answered phones, greeted visitors, and electronically organized and logged constituent correspondence § Researched economic and foreign policy bills for senior legislative assistants § Attended committee hearings and drafted memos for legislative correspondents EDUCATION Amherst College, Amherst, MA BA, Political Science, June 2006 Student Body President 2005 – 2006 § Oversaw $800,000 student activities budget § Launched a campus think tank for discussion and writing about current events § Appointed to faculty committee charged with determining long-range College academic and funding priorities § Led successful campaign to divest Amherst investment portfolios from Darfur-tied investment pools where humanitarian abuses were occurring St. Ignatius