Who's Listening

Danielle Walker, PhD, became the first person to hold the position of Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer when she joined the Village in August 2022. Before coming to Oak Park, Dr. Walker most recently served as Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Administrator for the City and County of Denver-City Attorney’s Office. Her professional background includes serving as a Policy Advisor for the Colorado Department of Health Care, Policy and Finance with a focus on equity within the disability community. She has nearly a decade of experience researching strategies around diversity, equity and inclusion plans for a wide range of industries. Dr. Walker's accomplishments include being the founder of the Racism Lives Here initiative for higher education and receiving the 47^th NAACP Image Chairman’s Award for activism.

UIC’s Great Cities Institute is a research hub for scholars, policymakers, and stakeholders who share an interest in finding answers to the question, “What can cities and regions do to make themselves into great places?”

The Great Cities Institute (GCI) represents UIC’s commitment to “engaged research” while contributing to its stature as a Research One University thereby highlighting the value of quality research for addressing today’s urban challenges.

By harnessing the power of engaged research, Great Cities Institute:

• Advances conversations on key issues
• Promotes community economic development strategies
• Produces, with neighborhoods, commercial revitalization and quality of life plans
• Provides data and technical assistance
• Facilitates collaboration and public engagement
• Assists with mentorship, training and capacity building
• Conducts evaluations and policy and impact analyses
• Convenes local, national and international scholars