Our Favorite Moments from the 2019 Impact Summit
On Thursday, April 25, we hosted our fourth annual Impact Summit and convened nearly 400 business, education and civic leaders. From reimagining philanthropy to better drive social change to building a pathway from classroom to career for all Chicago youth, sessions explored how we can ensure young people have the tools and opportunities necessary to sustainably rise out of poverty.
We’ve pulled together a few of our favorite moments from the day:
- Debuting a new video about A Better Chicago’s work that shares what we do and why we exist. Check it out:
- Our founder and outgoing CEO, Liam Krehbiel, reflecting on the past nine years and the part all of us can play in building a better Chicago for everyone.
“Nine years into this work, I’m more passionate and committed to our mission than ever. I continue to believe in the potential of Chicago’s young people and I know that, when we come together to invest boldly in our communities, we can create the change we want to see in our city.” -Liam Krehbiel
A Better Chicago Founder + Outgoing CEO Liam Krehbiel
- Exploring what bold philanthropy looks like with Eileen Buckley, Craig Huffman, Tim Schwertfeger and Sridhar Prasad.
“We need to think about philanthropy as more than writing a check—it’s about making big bets and personal commitments, working together and seeking help from others to solve society’s most complex challenges.” -Tim Schwertfeger
L-R: Eileen Buckley, Craig Huffman, Tim Schwertfeger and Sridhar Prasad
- An inspiring update for investors from our president, Doug Scott, that reminded us how critical collaboration and innovation—from government, social and business sectors—is to achieving our mission to break the cycle of poverty for all Chicago youth.
“In Chicago, we have all of the ingredients we need to make this city better for everyone. Don’t stand on the sidelines. Get in and make an impact.” -Doug Scott
A Better Chicago President Doug Scott
- A riveting discussion on what it means to truly create life-changing opportunity for our city’s young people with Aimée Eubanks Davis, Myles Gage, Andrea Zopp and A Better Chicago Chief External Relations Officer Kelly Jones.
“We need to evolve the way our higher education institutions envision degrees, how our companies envision their talent pipelines. I know, in Chicago, we can do this.” -Aimée Eubanks Davis
L-R: Aimée Eubanks Davis, Myles Gage, Andrea Zopp and A Better Chicago Chief External Relations Officer Kelly Jones
- Words of wisdom and inspiration from our closing keynote speaker, former New Orleans Mayor and New York Times Best-selling Author Mitch Landrieu during his fireside chat with our incoming CEO, Beth Swanson.
“Cities are hubs of innovation and change. Chicago has everything it needs to be an example to the country and the world. Find a way to work with your new mayor to be responsible advocates for the young people in this city and collaborate to find solutions.” -Mitch Landrieu
A Better Chicago Incoming CEO Beth Swanson and Mitch Landrieu
Thank you to everyone who took the time to join this important conversation and we hope to see you at future A Better Chicago events!
A very special thank you to Bark Design, Creative Consulting Specialists, Inc., Frost Chicago, Fulton Market Films, J. Geil Photography and Jewell Catering for bringing our event ideas to life.