South of Roosevelt

Christyn S. Freemon is the founder and Chief Solutionist of Project Forward, a tech enabled commercial corridor development venture firm in Chicago, IL. Project Forward’s clients include various participants in the neighborhood real estate development ecosystem: emerging and established developers, funders and financial intermediaries. Her company has a target of securing $500M for 100 developments in underserved markets from 2022- 2028. The revitalization projects that she works on include commercial corridor development, place making, adaptive reuse developments and program development for public/private partnerships. Ms. Freemon has helped her clients and partners secure over $100M in funding, including non extractive capital in the last 3 years. As an advocate for community wealth building, Ms. Freemon is developing a community investment vehicle on the Westside of Chicago, allowing for more inclusive participation in real estate investment. Christyn has conducted numerous trainings and facilitations for for the likes of LISC (Chicago Milwaukee), Chicago Urban League, The Federal Reserve of Cleveland, The Federal Reserve of Chicago, Community Indicators Conference, TechCodes, REEX, Project REAP, Chicago Association of Realtors and others. A graduate of Northwestern University, Ms. Freemon has participated in various task forces for the City of Chicago and Cook County, Illinois and nationally; she’s a Commissioner for the Social Innovation Commission of Cook County, and founding member of the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative and founding member of Economic Justice League, an organization dedicated to fighting economic violence nationally.

Cathriona Fey is a Business Development Director at Intersect Illinois. Prior to joining Intersect, Cathriona worked in urban planning consulting and commercial real estate. She completed a fellowship with World Business Chicago supporting the Chicago Anchors for a Strong Economy (CASE ) initiative and interned for the Trust for Public Land as they began the conversion and development of the Bloomingdale Trail, also known as the 606. Cathriona received both her Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Urban Planning degrees with a focus in Economic Development and Environmental Planning from the University of Iowa. Born and raised in Chicago, Cathriona resides in the city with her husband and two daughters.

Over the past 15 years, Leon I. Walker, Esq. has spearheaded cutting-edge community development projects that have generated thousands of new jobs, and brought grocery stores and health care services into the food and health care deserts on Chicago’s south side. Mr. Walker is an innovator who continues to be at the forefront of utilizing new financing tools and blending funding streams. During his career, Mr. Walker has structured more than $100 million in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs), including at the award-winning Roseland Medical Center, which was the first project to finance new construction with NMTCs in Chicago. He was also the first Chicago developer to use crowdfunding for new construction, raising $500,000 in two days from 61 investors in 26 states as part of the $20 million capital stack for the nationally recognized Englewood Square retail center, anchored by Whole-Foods. As the Managing Partner of DL3 Realty, Mr. Walker works closely with municipalities, anchor institutions, and Fortune 500 companies to implement projects that are sensitive to a neighborhood’s character while creating economic opportunities for those who live there. Mr. Walker’s projects are more than just bricks and mortar. They are designed to provide a stimulus that ultimately lifts economic prospects and quality-of-life for local residents. He calls his work “Venture Development,” as described in a recently released discussion paper that can be downloaded at dl3realty.com/venturedevelopment. Current projects include a new Jewel-Osco that will be the first grocery store to come to the Woodlawn community in over 40 years, helping to accelerate local revitalization efforts underway through the University of Chicago, Obama Presidential Center and local neighborhood organizations. He recently opened the new UI Mile Square Health Center in the South Shore neighborhood, collaborating with the YWCA to creatively co-locate critical health care and child care services at one site to better support the needs of families. He is also collaborating with Central City Productions to develop the nation’s first National Museum of Gospel Music, a highly inspirational project in the historic Bronzeville community on the site once occupied by Pilgrim Baptist Church, known as the birthplace of gospel. Mr. Walker is also leading the effort to develop social innovation hubs in Woodlawn, Chatham and Morgan Park. These new developments are anchored by some of Chicago’s most seasoned non-profit tenants including a Lighthouse call center providing 400 new jobs, a new Gift of Hope training center designed to prepare new candidates for medical careers, and University of Chicago sponsored co-working space for social enterprises. Given his catalytic projects and investment philosophy, Mr. Walker is often invited to speak to local and national organizations regarding economic development, Venture Development, and his experience with crowdfunding. Audiences have included the Chicago Bar Association, Urban Land Institute, American Planning Association, American Bankers Association, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, International Council of Shopping Centers, and the Entrepreneur Podcast Network. Mr. Walker serves as a Board member of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University and as a Commissioner of the Roseland Community Medical District. He is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, Realty Club of Chicago, International Council of Shopping Centers Government Relations Committee, and The Business Leadership Council. Prior to taking on the leadership of DL3 Realty, Mr. Walker worked in corporate real estate services at Jones Lang LaSalle, and in real estate capital markets at Citicorp Securities. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago’s Law School and Booth School of Business, and received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. He lives with his wife and two children in the Kenwood historic district on Chicago’s south side.

Stefanie Hest is a Senior Director at the Corporate Coalition. She oversees the Corporate Coalition's work to create an equity fund for neighborhood development as well as the Invest Together initiative to bring more jobs to neighborhoods in collaboration with Just Act Partners in addition to setting our membership engagement strategy. She brings extensive experience in financial services to the Coalition. Prior to joining, Stefanie was a Senior Vice President at Northern Trust, where she focused on investment solutions for institutional clients in addition and led the Women’s Leadership Development initiatives. She currently serves as the Board Chair for Chicago-based nonprofit Share Our Spare.

Kelwin Harris is the Chief Civic Engagement Officer and Deputy Assessor with the Cook County Assessor’s Office, where he leads public participation and stakeholder outreach for the 1.9 million property owners in Cook County. Kelwin was previously a Senior Outreach Planner with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) where he led outreach for Chicago's official regional plan, ON TO 2050, and provided technical assistance to help communities find more equitable solutions to improve the quality of life of residents. Before CMAP, Kelwin held several roles in community development on Chicago’s Southside, including serving as Director of Social Services for St. Sabina Church and Catholic Charities. Kelwin started his career in Chicago in government relations as an Assistant to Mayor Richard M. Daley, where he managed the city’s public housing and human capital departments. Kelwin holds a Bachelor of Science in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University, a Master in Urban Planning degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Professional Certificate in Municipal Finance from The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. He currently serves on the Boards of The Historic Pullman Foundation and MIKVA Challenge.

Casey McCormick, Founder and CEO of McCormick Compliance Consulting, a Milrose Company, has over 24 years of experience as an entrepreneur and is a leading authority in the USA on municipal approvals processes and construction permitting. Casey has managed over $25B+ in construction projects throughout his career. He has perfected a high-service model to keep projects ahead of schedule and teams updated on projects of all sizes. From tenant improvements to mega-developments, Casey's portfolio speaks for itself. Notable projects include the 17.5-acre One Beverly Hills, an environmentally advanced development featuring the Beverly Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, and Aman Hotel; the $450 million Echelon Studios in Los Angeles, a state-of-the-art film and TV production facility; as well as Halsted Pointe in Chicago, a multi-phase development with 2,650 residential units, office and retail space, and a hotel.