Connect with The U.S. Conference of Mayors - City Club of Chicago
Connect with The U.S. Conference of Mayors

Connect with The U.S. Conference of Mayors

Join USCM President Andrew J. Ginther, Mayor of Columbus Andrew J. Ginther, Mayor of Columbus (OH), Cherelle Parker, Mayor of Philadelphia (PA), Todd Gloria, Mayor of San Diego (CA), and Andre Dickens Mayor of Atlanta (GA)

Wednesday, Aug 21, 2024
Doors Open at 1:45 pm / Event Begins at 2:00 pm

Location

The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant
1401 S. Michigan Avenue
ChicagoIL 60605

Map and directions

Join us for a special opportunity to engage with mayors from across the country. This event will provide a platform for discussing the various challenges and opportunities on the topic of housing It's a chance to gain insights into their innovative approaches and collaborate on solutions to pressing issues.

 

Speakers

Mayor Andrew J. Ginther

Mayor Andrew J. Ginther is serving his second term as the 53rd mayor of the City of Columbus, Ohio. He previously served on Columbus City Council from 2007-15, and was president of Council from 2011 until assuming the Office of the Mayor on January 1, 2016. Under his leadership, Columbus has been named “America’s Opportunity City” while setting new records for job creation and population growth.

Mayor Ginther is uniquely committed to working with community, business, and faith and labor leaders to promote equitable opportunities for every Columbus resident. Signature initiatives include launching the Comprehensive Neighborhood Safety Strategy to reduce violent crime while realizing the most significant policing reforms in city history, such as civilian oversight of police and deploying body-worn camera technology; reducing infant mortality; expanding universal pre-kindergarten; creating the city’s first-ever Office of Diversity and Inclusion and appointing the city’s most diverse mayoral leadership cabinet; forming the Columbus Women’s Commission to advance the well-being of women in the workplace; and establishing the Department of Neighborhoods to lead community-driven investments for revitalization.

Acknowledging mobility as the great equalizer, Mayor Ginther is working to provide reliable, consistent transportation options so that all Columbus residents have convenient, equitable access to jobs, education and health care. During his first year in office, the city was awarded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge Grant, making Columbus America’s “Smart City.”

A proud graduate of Columbus City Schools, Mayor Ginther was originally elected to the Columbus Board of Education in 2001 and re-elected in 2005 before joining Council. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Earlham College, studied abroad at the University of Ulster and Queen’s College in Northern Ireland, and taught at public schools in Belfast and Derry. He also completed consecutive internships at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, where he taught non-violence and dispute resolution.

Mayor Ginther, his wife – Shannon – and their daughter live in Columbus.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker

Cherelle L. Parker was born to a single teenage mom and raised by her grandparents James and Dorothy Parker. It was the power of a village – her family and her community – and their belief in the power of education that gave her the opportunity to succeed. A graduate of Philadelphia public schools, she was the first person in her family to go to college; earning her bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University where she was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., then earning her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she taught public school as a high school English teacher and ESL teacher working with immigrant children and adults.

Inspired to public service by Councilwoman Marian Tasco, who she had interned for, Cherelle worked in Tasco’s office and rose to serve as a senior staffer where she oversaw – among many other things – the implementation of all economic and community development initiatives that helped neighborhoods and business corridors thrive. By the time she left, she became one of Councilwoman Tasco’s most trusted advisors.

While serving at the State Capitol, Cherelle was elected to the State House and went on to serve for 10 years representing Northwest Philadelphia. On winning her election, she made history as the youngest African-American woman elected to the State Legislature. In Harrisburg, she was elected by her colleagues to chair the Philadelphia Delegation, and it was her leadership in this role that she earned her reputation as one of the most effective legislators in Harrisburg.

Cherelle returned to City Council, as an elected Member, in 2015, representing 9th District in Northwest and Northeast Philadelphia. In 2020, she was elected by her colleagues as Council’s Majority Leader.

A single mom, Cherelle lives in Northwest Philadelphia with her son, Langston and their dog, Max.

Mayor Todd Gloria

A third-generation San Diegan of Filipino, Dutch, Puerto Rican, and Native American descent, Mayor Gloria’s lifelong career in public service was inspired by a lesson his parents – a hotel maid and a gardener – taught him at a young age: if you care about something, then you should leave it better than you found it. That lesson continues to motivate Mayor Gloria to improve San Diego every single day.

Mayor Gloria has spent his entire professional life in service to the public, beginning his career at the County of San Diego’s Health and Human Services Agency. He then went on to serve as District Director to United States Congresswoman Susan A. Davis, whom he credits as his mentor.

In 2008, Mayor Gloria was elected to the San Diego City Council following Christine Kehoe and Toni Atkins in serving the Third District. In 2012, after serving his first term, Mayor Gloria’s colleagues on the City Council elected him as their City Council President.

In 2013, he assumed the reigns of the City, beginning his time as Interim Mayor after the resignation of Bob Filner. During that time, Mayor Gloria is widely credited with restoring the public’s trust in city government.

In 2016, Mayor Gloria was elected to the California State Assembly to represent the 78th Assembly District. He immediately rose to a leadership position in the Assembly serving first as Assistant Majority Whip and eventually Majority Whip.

During his time in the Assembly, Mayor Gloria passed legislation on many of the major issues San Diego is working to address including building more affordable housing, fighting gun violence, combatting climate change, and providing resources for those experiencing homelessness.

As the 37th Mayor of San Diego, Mayor Gloria is committed to making San Diego a city of opportunity that invests in every neighborhood and every San Diegan.

Mayor Gloria is a graduate of the University of San Diego and an enrolled member of the Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. He lives in the neighborhood of Downtown.

Mayor Andre Dickens

Andre Dickens is the 61st Mayor of Atlanta. A proud native of Atlanta and a product of Atlanta Public Schools, Mayor Dickens is focused on bringing opportunity and equity to the city that he loves. 

Mayor Dickens’ agenda is rooted in Moving Atlanta Forward, through improving public safety, increasing opportunities for the city’s young people, empowering neighborhoods, and investing in housing and combatting homelessness, all while fostering a culture of integrity in the City. As he shared in his first State of the City address, his vision for Atlanta is:

One city with one bright future. A city of safe, healthy, connected neighborhoods with an expansive culture of equity, empowering upward mobility and full participation for all residents, embracing youth development, and an innovative, dependable government moving Atlanta forward, together.

Mayor Dickens was sworn in as Mayor in January 2022. Early accomplishments include making the City’s first-ever investment in early childhood education; the establishment of the Nightlife Division to address establishments with a history of high crime; the reestablishment of the Pothole Posse to rapidly respond to residents’ reports; and leading the successful coalition to keep Atlanta whole in opposition to a de-annexation effort.

Prior to his election as Mayor, Dickens served eight years as an at-large City Council member. He was an entrepreneur for over a decade in both the private and nonprofit sectors and a leader in Atlanta’s tech sector. Mayor Dickens is a graduate of Mays High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology as well as a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University.

As the Post 3 At-Large City Council member from 2014 to 2021, Andre Dickens was a vocal legislative leader on public safety, transportation, affordable housing, workforce development, educational opportunities for Atlanta Public Schools students, and seasoned citizens programming. He served as the chairman of the Transportation Committee, providing oversight to city streets, bridges, sidewalks, paths, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest airport.

Some of his legislative highlights include: creating the Department of Transportation, sponsoring legislation increasing annual salaries for Senior Patrol Officers, implementing a $15 per hour minimum wage for city employees, establishing BeltLine Inclusionary Zoning for affordable housing, establishing the Atlanta Youth Commission, setting aside a $40 million Housing Opportunity Bond, creating a joint commission between City Council and APS board, and establishing a BeltLine senior housing rehab program. In 2017, he sponsored and helped launch the Teen “Midnight” Basketball League, a program which includes workshops that help young men develop life skills and further their education.

Mayor Dickens previously served as the Chief Development Officer for TechBridge, a nonprofit that drives community impact by bringing affordable technology and business expertise to other nonprofit organizations. In 2018, he co-founded the Technology Career Program, a free program designed to prepare unemployed and individuals experiencing disadvantage in the work field for a career in the growing technology job market. The program teaches high demand technology skills while helping participants land jobs in IT departments across Atlanta. 

Mayor Dickens also previously served as the Assistant Director of Outreach Initiatives for Georgia Tech’s Office of Institute Diversity. He spearheaded Tech’s African-American Male Institute, which resulted in a significant increase in the GPA and graduation rate among Black males. He also managed the Focus graduate school recruitment program and the Challenge Program that helped hundreds of students successfully transition into college life each year. 

Early in his career, Mayor Dickens worked as a sales engineer for DSM Engineering Plastics and became the youngest and first Black salesman of the year. At the age of 28, he co-founded City Living Home Furnishings, which grew into a multi-million-dollar retail business with two locations. Mayor Dickens ran the company for nine years until 2011.

Mayor Dickens has been a member of the Georgia Tech Alumni Board of Directors and is an alumnus of Leadership Atlanta, Diversity Leadership Atlanta, United Way VIP, and Regional Leadership Institute. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc.; deacon of New Horizon Baptist Church and has served on the boards of the Atlanta BeltLine, Invest Atlanta, TechBridge and the Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Mayor Dickens enjoys spending time with his daughter, experiencing live music, attending church services, and traveling the world. He is an avid supporter of all of Atlanta’s sports teams.

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Upcoming events

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Doors Open at 11:30 am / Event Begins at 12:00 pm

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Proceeds from this event will directly support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s vital work funding lifesaving blood cancer research to find a cure and improve the quality of life of patients and their families
Mayor Brandon Johnson, Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo (Simbo) Ige, Dr. Edwin McDonald IV, Tawa Mitchell and Adrian Talbott
Thursday, Oct 24, 2024
Doors Open at 11:30 am / Event Begins at 12:00 pm

City Club of Chicago event tickets are non-refundable. Tickets are transferrable. 

Our venues are wheelchair accessible. To request any other accessibility, please contact Amanda Agosti at aagosti@cityclub-chicago.org