On 7/23, the APA-IL was proud to join with Women in Planning and Development Chicago (WP+D Chicago) to raise over $2400 for the Brave Space Alliance, The Bail Project, and Little Black Pearl through a phenomenal panel discussion with Camille Applewhite, Monica Chadha, Lauren Lewis, and moderator Brittanii' Batts. Click the video above if you missed out! Thank you to the speakers, WP+D, and APA-IL's Emily Egan for coordinating the event!
Speakers:
Camille Applewhite holds a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from Purdue University and a post graduate certificate from Archeworks in Public Interest Design. Living and working in Chicago for roughly 8 years she has gained much experience in the fields of landscape architecture , planning, farming, and regular volunteering. She is the co-founder of BlackSpace Chicago an urbanist collective of Black people that work in shaping social and spatial environments through protecting and promoting Black communities. She is the Service Chair for ILASLA (previously emerging professionals Co-chair) and Windy City Roller Skating on the Third Coast Travel team.
Monica Chadha, AIA, LEED AP is a licensed architect with over 20 years experience in the design profession. She is founder and principle of Civic Projects, an architecture practice with a focus on social impact. Prior to starting her firm, she served as a founding director of Impact Detroit and led project teams in both Studio Gang and Ross Barney Architects. Her firm's approach to design is highly participatory, going beyond architecture to include grant-writing, strategic planning, pre-development, and revitalization on several scales. Civic Projects works closely with clients and local organizations to develop work that invigorates neighborhoods.
Lauren Lewis supports community-led Quality-of-Life Plans across Chicago as Program Officer for the Neighborhood Network at LISC. Her mission is to serve communities and demonstrate her love for relationship building by listening to her neighbors. From pioneering volleyball clinics to managing and strengthening partnerships between the Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Schools, and the City Colleges of Chicago, Lauren has helped engage intergenerational communities. Prior to joining LISC, Lauren led program evaluation efforts in providing quality services alongside major institutions like the Chicago Housing Authority, Illinois Department of Children & Family Services, and the US Department of Health & Human Services.
Brittanii’ Batts (moderator) vets potential revitalization related projects and tracks improvement in loan agreements as the Associate Manager of Projects and Research at the National Main Street Center, a national movement for preservation- based economic development and community development. Working closely with the Vice President of Revitalization Programs, Brittanii’ is helping to expand NMSC’s research objectives using GIS data analysis and visualization. Prior to joining in 2019, she worked in telecommunications development and served as a community organizer for traffic-infrastructure improvement projects on the West Side of Chicago. She currently serves on the WP+D Board of Directors as Marketing Chair.