The Chicago Community Trust (the Trust) announced the selection of Andrea Sáenz as the eighth President and CEO of the 107-year-old organization, succeeding Helene Gayle. Sáenz will bring over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, where she has led efforts to improve neighborhood, citywide, and national systems. Her relationships with and ability to work across philanthropic, business, and government institutions – as well as an understanding of the issues shaping the region’s future – make her uniquely suited to lead the organization. From her time as a community organizer in college, where she worked to improve conditions for communities harmed by poverty and racism, through a career that led to the last four years serving as the Trust’s first Chief Operating Officer, Sáenz has led with her heart and mind to advance equity, opportunity, and prosperity for all.  Sáenz, who will be the institution’s first Latinx leader, most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and Interim President and CEO of the Trust. She was an integral member of the leadership team at the Trust that established the 10-year strategic plan to address economic inequity. In 2019, the Trust announced it would focus discretionary spending over the next decade on working to close Chicago’s growing racial and ethnic wealth gap. Sáenz holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies from Scripps College.  

Photo Credit: The Community Trust