About the event

Chicago is among 100 global cities ranked on the 2022 Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index, which explores three pillars of sustainability to develop a holistic ranking of the world’s leading cities.

To look more closely at Chicago’s ranking on SCI – and how the region is responding to its sustainability challenges and opportunities – we would like to invite you to a networking reception and panel discussion.

Our program will examine:

How the Chicago region ranked on broad measures of urban sustainability in the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index
What makes a city truly prosperous – and how indicators of environmental, social and economic health can help define prosperity
How the Chicago region is working towards a future as a model in sustainability in areas including flood susceptibility, heat vulnerability, mobility and economic hardship, and more

Please join us for a lively discussion, local fare and spirits, and sweeping views of Lake Michigan from the Arcadis office in the heart of Chicago’s Loop.

Event Agenda

Networking begins at 5 p.m.

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres

Presentation and panel discussion at 5:30 p.m.

Brief presentation:
Chicago’s ranking on the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index – including how we compare to other cities around the world

Panel discussion:
Regional leaders in transportation, city government and urban planning share perspectives on tackling the region’s sustainability challenges

Hosts

Presenters

Moderator

Kevin Burns

Mayor, City of Geneva, Illinois
Chairman, Environment Committee & Energy Subcommittee, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, Chicago

Kevin Burns is the longest serving Mayor in the history of Geneva, Illinois. He was first elected in 2001 and was re-elected to his sixth term as Mayor in 2021. Previously, Burns served as an Alderman on the City Council, as an appointed member of the Plan Commission, on the Historic Preservation Commission, and as a Trustee of the Public Library Board. Mayor Burns also is the immediate Past President of Metro West Council of Governments, which has 33 municipal members in Kane, Kendall, and DeKalb counties.

As Mayor, Mr. Burns has vast experience with diverse environmental issues affecting his thriving community of 21,393. The City of Geneva has owned and operated a Municipal Electric Distribution System since 1896. Under Mayor Burns’ leadership, the city earned the national SolSmart designation in 2021. Mayor Burns championed a multi-jurisdictional collaborative to assemble and develop a 580-acre parcel into a model prairie and wetland restoration site with trails and popular community gardens. He is a signatory to the Chicago Climate Charter, led Geneva to adopt the Greenest Region Compact, and encouraged Geneva to become the first community to pass a resolution supporting the Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Region.

Additionally, Mayor Burns is a member of Path to Positive Communities’ national climate Leadership Circle.

Erin Aleman
Executive Director, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)

Erin Aleman is executive director of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). Appointed in June 2019, Aleman is the first woman and first professional planner to lead the agency. Aleman has more than 15 years of experience with developing transportation and land-use policies. She began her career at CMAP before moving to the Illinois Department of Transportation, where she led the Office of Planning and Programming. In her current role, Aleman oversees an agency that employs more than 120 staff members who develop and implement recommendations in ON TO 2050, the region’s long-range plan.

Edith Makra
Director of Environmental Initiatives, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus

Edith Makra is the Director of Environmental Initiatives for the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, a coalition of 275 mayors in the greater Chicago region. She leads programs to advance sustainability and environmental stewardship for municipalities. She also directs the Environment Committee and Energy Subcommittee to engage in important policy issues and fosters collaborations that advance clean energy, alternate fuels, and environmental stewardship.

Makra developed the Greenest Region Compact, a consensus sustainability pledge now adopted by 142 Chicago-area communities, which is the largest regional municipal sustainability collaborative in the U.S. She leveraged the Greenest Region Compact to lead 45 local governments to earn the national SolSmart designation for advancing solar development, more than any other state. She also led a collaborative effort to create the Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Region, which was released in July of 2021 and is one of the first regional climate action plans in the nation.

Makra previously served as the first environmental advisor to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. She has a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Illinois, an Executive Sustainability Certificate from Harvard University, and is an International Society of Sustainability Professionals – Certified Sustainability Professional.

Mary Nicol
Director of Policy, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT)

As the Director of Policy for the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), Mary Nicol creates and implements programs and policies to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector to lower transportation costs for residents, to increase resident mobility, and to make streets safer for all users. She led the policy development and eventual passage of one of the country’s most ambitious and equitably structured ride-hailing congestion taxes, and recently launched Bike Chicago, a program to distribute 5,000 bikes and safety equipment over the course of four years to eligible Chicagoans. Nicol draws on nearly 20 years of experience in designing progressive policy at the municipal, state, national and global levels, including serving as Deputy Policy Director and then as Senior Climate Advisor in Chicago’s Office of the Mayor. Nicol received a Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois-Chicago.

LeeAnn Tomas-Foster
Chicago Region City Executive, Arcadis

LeeAnn Tomas-Foster is a dynamic Chicago City Executive for Arcadis, a leading international natural and built asset design and consultancy firm. Her role entails connecting Arcadis to the Chicago market through thought leadership, quality partnerships and project delivery. Some examples include her work on the Joint Venture Boards for the $ 2B Chicago Transit Authority for the Red Purple Modernization Project and the Chicago Department of Water Management Program. She also helped the Friends of the Chicago River on the creation of a Chicago River Watershed Council for Chicago and collar counties to address stormwater issues, flooding and natural green infrastructure remedies; has participated on the Chicago Central Area Committee on the Invest South and West Program, 2020 Chicago Corridor Revitalization Initiative, the 2019 Central Strategy for all of Chicago; Metropolitan Planning Council’s Drinking Water 1,2,3 Program, as well as the Chicago Public Schools Environmental Program for the past 6 years. She also serves on the board of Lambda Alpha International ELY Chapter, Forest Preserve Foundation and chair of the March of Dimes Construction Awards Committee.

During her previous tenure, Tomas-Foster worked 19 years in environmental program management, due diligence and compliance work in the public sector leading multi-million dollar environmental programs for two City of Chicago sister agencies, including the Public Building Commission and the Chicago Park District. In these roles, she received numerous awards for her project and program work from organizations such as Keep Chicago Beautiful, National Association of Environmental Professionals, the USEPA, as well as the Illinois Governor’s office.

Event Location

Arcadis

200 South Michigan Ave
Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (312) 874-3009

Getting there and Parking

Parking (across the street from our office)
Millennium Grant Park South Parking Garage
325 S Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60604

By rail: Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
Orange Line: Get off at the Adams/Wabash stop (which is located right behind the Chicago office). Walk North on S Wabash Avenue, turn right onto E Adams Street, and turn right onto S Michigan Avenue. Our building (200 S Michigan) is at the corner of S. Michigan and Adams.

Blue Line: Get off at the Monroe stop. Walk South on S Dearborn Street, turn left onto Adams, and continue to S. Michigan Avenue (.3 mile). Our building (200 S Michigan) is at the corner of S. Michigan and Adams.

For trip planning or train service updates, visit www.transitchicago.com.

Got questions? Contact us

LeeAnn Tomas-Foster
Chicago Region City Executive
Arcadis
LeeAnn.Tomas-Foster@arcadis.com
(312) 917-1000

Prosperity Beyond Profit:
How the Chicago Region Is Mapping a Future as a Model for Urban Sustainability