10 Years Later, CLA Alums Continue to Share Unique Perspectives and Bridge Differences

From its inception in 2014, the University of Chicago Civic Leadership Academy has bridged the divide between leaders in local government and non-profit organizations within the City of Chicago and Cook County. Over the last decade, hundreds of fellows have participated in the program, bringing their diverse perspectives to the table. Through their sharing of ideas and experiences, leaders across the city have grown together to help nonprofits and government agencies thrive. In celebration of the ten year anniversary, CLA alumni share how their experience and the connections they made shaped them into the leaders they are today.

Jermaine Harris, CLA ‘19

Jermaine Harris, a Community Policing Lieutenant with the Chicago Police Department, has worked with law enforcement and non-profit partners for over 20 years to develop community based violence prevention.  His strategy of implementing social justice into inclusive criminal justice policies works to improve the quality of life for Chicago’s most vulnerable populations. Learning from the diverse perspectives of his peers in CLA’s 2019 Cohort allowed him to innovate new ways to improve the safety of Chicago neighborhoods.

“Working with diverse groups, working with different types of people from different sectors, was really the greatest experience,” he said. “Seeing such diverse and unique perspectives, I think, is probably the single most important thing that has ever happened to my career.”

Jermaine stresses the importance of collaboration and open communication between law enforcement and activists, both of whom are working to make Chicago a safer place. These partnerships have allowed him to work with younger individuals and in communities that are more distrusting of law enforcement to become more understanding of the struggles facing these populations.

Vernon Schleyer, CLA ‘23

Vernon Schleyer has served the city of Chicago as a dedicated Cook County Public Defender for over 30 years. His experience with CLA expanded his knowledge beyond his own profession through hearing the unique experiences and perspectives of community based organizations throughout the city.

“I got to meet a ton of people from outside of my own field, including all sorts of community based organizations, all sorts of government offices that I never had experience with,” he explained, “and it was a remarkable chance to learn a lot of stuff I had never come into contact with before.”

He shared that having access to this network of individuals and resources has helped him to be a better public servant by providing him with more perspective to better understand the community around him. CLA challenged him to look beyond his own beliefs and learn from the perspectives of individuals who actively work to design city systems. This has exposed him to a huge cross-section of civic society and government society that is not usually recognized.

“I think everyone walks around thinking they know how the world works and what the rules are, but talking to people who are actively involved in designing some of these systems, I got to learn about all sorts of considerations that might not ever have occurred to me.”

Lauren Raymond, CLA ‘23

Lauren Raymond, current executive director for the FOID Card Review Board and the former policy director for the Bureau of Human Services in Cook County, took CLA as an opportunity to share resources and her experience with other Cook County employees in her CLA cohort to address various human resource dilemmas that they were facing. Working with these other members of her cohort sparked a curiosity on the lived experiences of her peers that lead to differing opinions and perspectives. Being a part of CLA allowed her to recognize the importance of her role in voicing the concerns and perspectives of the communities, embracing the differences of their experiences.

“I think CLA really taught me how to value difference. I think sometimes people approach difference by trying to snuff out the differences and bring everybody together and get them on the same page,” she said. “But there is a lot of value in difference, and I think that value can be beautiful and really captures what is being reflected in the community at large.”

Raquel Garcia-Alvarez, CLA ‘23

Raquel Garcia-Alvarez addresses racial inequity in the Forest Preserves of Cook County as the Policy and Sustainability manager. Born and raised in Little Village, she is dedicated to involving local communities in the use of public lands that surround their homes and has been working with forest preserves for almost 10 years towards this goal. Raquel founded the Environmentalists of Color (EOC), a group that works to support its members in becoming leaders in various environmental fields.

Being a part of CLA allowed her to make connections within different civil spheres in Chicago and navigate law enforcement departments.

“Developing these new friendships and knowing more about the city and the county that I live in has reawakened my passion to help, to continue to make the county better for our residents,” she explained.

Raquel works on internal policies to improve forest preserves and is heavily involved in racial equity work within hiring processes and policies. This work involves a language access policy that provides language assistance for the public, as well as staff training to improve the capacity in which they serve communities. For Raquel, being a part of CLA demonstrated how to incorporate change within institutions by using her voice and making community connections.

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