Summer of Social Impact: Leading Change for Chicago and Illinois

Dr. Allison Arwady (CLA'18) and Eleanor Gorski (CLA'18) highlighted their experiences working for the City of Chicago in a forum moderated by Harris Public Policy Dean Katherine Baicker. Joe Ferguson, Chicago's Inspector General, was the third panelist.

Dr. Allison Arwady (CLA'18)

Dr. Allison Arwady, CLA'18, is currently the acting commissioner and Chief Medical Officer of the Chicago Department of Health, where she oversees health protection and promotion activities. This means she thinks about tuberculosis, mosquito control, lead poisoning, opioid overdoses, immunizations, and more, all through a health equity lens. Before joining the City, she investigated disease outbreaks in Illinois and internationally with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Allison completed medical school and clinical training at Yale University and holds a master of public health degree from Columbia University.

Eleanor Gorski (CLA'18)

Eleanor Gorski, CLA'18, is the Acting Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development and coordinates the City’s multi-disciplinary planning and design efforts across departments. She has managed city review and financial assistance for hundreds of residential and commercial projects, notably adaptive reuse of architecturally significant Loop office buildings. She also oversees equity-based City planning to increase economic development. A licensed architect, Eleanor received degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Pennsylvania State University. She is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome. Recent projects led by her Bureau include the Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus Fund, the 5-year Rehabilitation Plan for Wrigley Field, The Fulton-Randolph Market Innovation District Plan, the North Branch Framework Plan and the continued Industrial Modernization plans for all 26 of Chicago’s Industrial Corridors.

Joe Ferguson

Joe Ferguson is serving his third term as Chicago’s Inspector General. Ferguson spent 15 years with the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Northern District of Illinois. Ferguson was a Chief of the USAO’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Section and a Deputy in the Complex Fraud and Financial Crimes Section, where he directed cases related to terrorism financing, government program, health care and bank fraud cases. Ferguson is a lecturer at Loyola University Chicago School of Law as well as the co-director of its National Security and Civil Rights Program. He received his BA from Lake Forest College and his JD from Northwestern University School of Law.