Staff
Kevin Sutton, Executive Director
Serving as the executive director of the Foundation for Homan Square (FHS), Kevin brings to the role more than 25 years of leadership experience, a lifelong passion for strengthening communities, and deep ties to the neighborhood as a North Lawndale native and a longtime Homan Square resident.
Since taking the helm of the Foundation for Homan Square in 2017, Kevin has played an instrumental role in convening community stakeholders, advancing collaborative plans for equitable community development, and supporting the creation and preservation of community assets in Homan Square that increase access to quality housing, health care, education, and other vital services.
In addition to ensuring the financial sustainability of the Foundation for Homan Square, overseeing operations at the historic Nichols Tower and the Homan Square Community Center, and coordinating the efforts of the organization’s Community Advisory and Leadership Councils, Kevin works closely with community members and organizational partners to advance development projects in Homan Square.
A graduate of Roosevelt University, Kevin joined the Foundation for Homan Square team in 2011 as the organization’s community relations manager after more than a decade managing conferences and special events for a global consulting firm. His affiliation with the organization, however, began much earlier.
Shortly after relocating his family to Homan Square in 1994 and becoming one of the first homeowners to purchase a newly built, single-family home developed by the Shaw Company, Kevin joined the Homan Square Community Center Advisory Council and the governing board of Power House High School – which is located on the Homan Square campus and is now known as DRW College Prep. Further immersing himself in the community, he also served on the board Lawndale Christian Health Center and the Local School Council of Gregory Elementary School.
Today, Kevin continues to play an active role as a member of numerous boards and councils in the community, including the Elevated Chicago Steering Committee, the Holy Family School CAC, North Lawndale Employment Network’s Support Corporation, the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council, the West Side United CAC, and United Power for Action and Justice, among others.
Board of Directors
Rodney Jones-Tyson, Chair
Global Chief Human Resources Officer
Baird
Michael Halbert
Homan Square Community Resident
Sheila McNary
Homan Square Community Resident
Deborah Moore
Director of Neighborhood Strategy & Planning
Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, Inc.
Nancy Olson
Partner & Head of Chicago Real Estate Group
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates
Brenda Palms-Barber
President & CEO
North Lawndale Employment Network
Yvonne Shields
Homan Square Community Resident
Community Advisory Council
The Community Advisory Council (CAC) is a group of Homan Square residents, business owners, and organizational leaders that direct the vision and implementation of FHS’ community development work.
Rodney Brown
New Covenant Business Development Center
Haman Cross
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Dorothy Ferguson
Homan Square Community Resident
Bishop Stephen Ferguson
Stone Temple Church
Alejandro Garcia
North Lawndale Employment Network
Trina Magrum
28th Ward Office
Sheila McNary
Homan Square Community Resident
Claude Robinson
UCAN
Yvonne Shields
Homan Square Community Resident
Minnie Warren
Homan Square Community Resident
Homan Square Leadership Council
The Leadership Council is comprised of organizations and businesses located in Homan Square.
Robert Bisbee
Homan Square Park District
Brenda Palms Barber
North Lawndale Employment Network
Cheryl Collins
Holy Family School
Dr. Daisy Dowell
Lawndale Christian Health Center
Loretta Espuet
Family Focus, Inc.
Jasmine Emmons
Turning the Page
Bernard Jennings
Lawndale Renaissance Business Association
Jaclyn Jacunski
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Jeff McCarter
Free Spirit Media
Sharon McFeders
YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
Pat Mosena
Options for Youth
Russell Montgomery
Lofts of Arthington, Mercy Housing Lakefront
Deborah Moore
Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago
Shakibia Ray
Homan Square Apartment Rental by Realty Mortgage
Jennifer Reid
DRW College Prep High School
Thelma Thompson
North Lawndale YMCA Childcare
Selma Sims
Gardeneer’s, Homan Rails Farm
Zack Schrantz
UCAN
Community Development Partner
IFF
In 2018, the Foundation for Homan Square entered into a formal arrangement with long-time partner IFF to maintain and expand the tapestry of community resources in Homan Square. IFF is a nonprofit lender, real estate consultant, and developer that had worked with the Foundation on several projects, including the re-development of both the high school and Nichols Tower.