City Club of Chicago

July 1, 2026 City Club event description: Ten years ago, the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities was formed to reduce gun violence in Chicago. Over time, we have demonstrated that community-led efforts can make a real impact. In 2025, Chicago experienced its lowest homicide rate in six decades and saw a nearly 50 percent […]

June 30, 2026 City Club event description: From Appointment to Election: Chicago’s School Board in Transition Chicago’s school board is in the midst of a historic transition from an appointed body to a fully elected one. This conversation will examine the board’s current state, the challenges and opportunities shaping this moment, and why it matters […]

June 9, 2026 City Club event description: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, born in Chicago to Haitian immigrants, brings a lifetime of legal experience and advocacy to the office. Attorney General Raoul launched his legal career as a Cook County prosecutor. Thereafter, he successively opened a general law practice, served as […]

June 4, 2026 City Club event description: Join us for a conversation on the growing focus on healthspan and why Illinois is well positioned to lead this emerging field. As the conversation around aging shifts from simply living longer to living healthier for longer, this panel will explore the science, innovation and economic opportunity driving […]

June 3, 2026 City Club event description City Club video

May 26, 2026 City Club event description: The Sankofa Village Wellness Center stands as a major new investment in West Garfield Park and a powerful example of community-centered development in Chicago. A flagship project of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, the center reflects a long-term vision for health, wellness and neighborhood opportunity, rooted in the legacy […]

May 20, 2026 City Club event description: Speaker Larry B. Snelling Larry B. Snelling is Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Superintendent Snelling joined CPD in 1992 as a patrol officer in his home community of Englewood. This type of community-based policing experience remained core to his values and his experience as he ascended through […]

May 13, 2026 City Club event description: Over the past 25 years, more than 400 organizations have earned Chicago Innovation Awards. This panel brings together several winners to share how they built their success, the lessons they learned along the way, and how they are reinvesting in Chicago’s innovation ecosystem. Speakers Amanda Lannert Amanda Lannert […]

May 7, 2026 City Club event description: More than 700,000 Cook County residents rely on SNAP, and federal policy changes now under debate could reshape who qualifies, how benefits are administered, and what local systems are left to absorb. This conversation brings together Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, Greater Chicago Food Depository CEO Kate Maehr, […]

April 17, 2026 City Club event description: Governor JB Pritzker Governor JB Pritzker was sworn in as the 43rd Governor of Illinois on Jan. 14, 2019. Since taking office, he has accomplished one of the most ambitious and consequential policy agendas in state history. The governor won bipartisan passage for Rebuild Illinois, the largest investment […]

March 10, 2026 City Club event description: The Honorable Valerie Jarrett is Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of The Obama Foundation where she is overseeing the creation of a new world class cultural and civic institution on Chicago’s South Side, and the Foundation’s programs that inspire, empower, and connect people to change […]

March 5, 2026 City Club event description: Arts, museums, and cultural institutions are among Illinois’ strongest assets—driving tourism, supporting jobs, anchoring neighborhoods, and shaping how Chicago and the state are perceived nationally and globally. Yet outdated narratives too often overshadow the true strength, safety, and cultural vitality of these institutions. Join museum leaders, artis...

March 3, 2026 City Club event description: Chicagoans need access to good jobs with family-sustaining wages, and employers need to fill critical roles quickly.  To build these connections, the Pritzker Traubert Foundation launched the Chicago Talent Challenge, a $5 million grant to accelerate the training and hiring of local workers for high-demand jobs. This year’s […]

February 11, 2026 City Club event description: Mayor Brandon Johnson, City of Chicago Brandon Johnson was sworn in as the 57th Mayor of the City of Chicago on May 15, 2023. Mayor Johnson began his career as a public school teacher, first at Jenner Academy in Cabrini-Green and then at Westinghouse College Prep on the […]

February 5, 2026 City Club event description: Michael McMurray serves as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), one of the world’s largest aviation systems, serving more than 100 million passengers per year. Appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson in 2025, Commissioner McMurray brings more than 25 years of experience, with a with a career-long […]

January 28, 2026 City Club event description: Gia Biagi was appointed secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation by Gov. JB Pritzker on Dec. 10, 2024. Biagi brings to the agency decades of experience in urban planning, transportation, public policy, infrastructure and operations.  Biagi’s career spans both private practice and public service and has established […]

January 27, 2026 City Club event description: Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle Toni Preckwinkle is the 35th president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, an office she has held since 2010. She is the first Black woman to be elected to the office. A dedicated and effective public servant, President Preckwinkle has worked to […]

January 22, 2026 City Club event description City Club video

January 14, 2026 City Club event description: Gun violence is the most important challenge facing the city of Chicago. Unfortunately, Chicago—like many U.S. cities—is facing severe budget challenges as a result of continuing downtown struggles on the heels of COVID and the expiration of federal pandemic-relief funding. Can a financially strained city solve its biggest […]

January 13, 2026 City Club event description: Kristen Reynolds is President and CEO of Choose Chicago, the city’s official destination-marketing organization. Since stepping into the role in May 2025, she has emphasized partnerships across the city’s 77 neighborhoods, elevated the “Never Done. Never Outdone.” brand platform, and leveraged major events and convention growth to amplify […]

January 8, 2026 City Club event description: Charles Lee Isbell Jr. became the 11th Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in July 2025. As Chancellor, he leads the state’s flagship land-grant university in its missions of academic excellence, innovation and public engagement.  Chancellor Isbell is a computationalist, researcher, educator and advocate for the idea […]

January 7, 2026 City Club event description: Explore how Illinois’ landmark transit law, Senate Bill 2111, turns a looming transit fiscal cliff into a sustainable future for CTA, Metra, and Pace by establishing stable funding and governance reforms grounded in the Plan of Action for Regional Transit (PART). This panel unpacks how the legislation came […]

January 6, 2026 City Club event description City Club video

December 16, 2025 City Club event description: Democracy Under Siege challenges us to confront the threats facing our election systems while examining the necessity of a transparent and secure voting process. Preserving voting rights means increasing access, combating sophisticated voter suppression, and building a system of voter confidence. This discussion is about immediate...

December 8, 2025 City Club event description: Over two decades, Little Village has led one of Chicago’s most compelling neighborhood transformations. Guided by three successive Quality of Life Plans, residents, schools, and community partners have expanded educational opportunities, strengthened youth programs, and reduced violence—building a collaboration model that’s inspired the city. This pane...