Pre-Development Process and Players
Tuesday, March 24
10-11am
Virtual
Curious about what’s involved in the development process before you break ground or start renovations? Join Arts Alliance and our partners IFF and Bustling Spaces for a webinar on March 24 that will take a deeper dive into the iterative steps – and players – for this part of the development process.
There will be an opportunity for Q&A at the end. This program will be recorded, and ASL interpretation will be provided.
Speakers
Jessica Nepomiachi
Jessica Nepomiachi is the Managing Director for Real Estate Solutions in Chicago at IFF, a mission-driven lender, developer, and real estate consultant that supports nonprofits across the Midwest. At IFF she leads real estate consulting executing complex real estate projects, coaching and technical assistance programs with partners including Chicago’s Cultural Treasures, Elevated Chicago, the Chicago Community Trust, Illinois Homelessness Education Technical Assistance Center and the City of Chicago DFSS Shelter Infrastructure Initiative. Jessica supports non profits and community developers with capital alignment and real estate readiness in a diverse range of sectors and across Chicagoland including arts and culture, emergency housing, early child care centers and mental health services. In her previous roles as a developer, Jessica created and preserved thousands of affordable housing and permanent supportive housing units. She previously served at the Chicago Housing Authority, New York Housing Authority and the New York City Council.
Jessica is the co-chair of the Jewish Council of Urban Affairs’ Community Ventures Program which provides predevelopment capital for community development projects in Chicagoland. Jessica has a Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College and a Master of Urban Planning from Pratt Institute.
Henry Wishcamper
Henry Wishcamper is the founder of Bustling Spaces LLC, an arts service organization that supports artists, community groups, and creative businesses in historically disinvested communities to manifest their visions, access new resources, and tell their stories. He is a theater artist, cultural planner, community developer, storyteller, arts advocate and strategic consultant with over 20 years of experience as an artist and non-profit administrator. He was an Artistic Associate and member of the Artistic Collective at the Goodman Theatre, where he directed seven seasons of their beloved holiday production of A Christmas Carol as well as numerous other productions, readings and workshops. He recently graduated from the Masters in Urban Planning and Policy program at the University of Illinois Chicago with a custom specialization in cultural planning where his primary academic focus was the role that arts infrastructure and cultural programming in public spaces play in generating equitable hyperlocal economic development in historically disinvested communities.
Megan Lewis, AICP
Megan Lewis, AICP, brings more than 20 years of experience in project management, organizational development, strategic planning, relationship building, and project concepting. At Arts Alliance she oversees the Public Funding Navigator program, which conducts research and provides technical support to Illinois’s creative sector. A certified urban planner, Megan brings her ability to understand the important connection that the arts and culture sector brings to community health and vitality. She holds a BA in economics from Indiana University and master’s degree in regional planning from the University of Pennsylvania.
Curious about what’s involved in the development process before you break ground or start renovations? Join Arts Alliance and our partners IFF and Bustling Spaces for a webinar on March 24 that will take a deeper dive into the iterative steps – and players – for this part of the development process.
There will be an opportunity for Q&A at the end. This program will be recorded, and ASL interpretation will be provided.
This program is offered as part of a larger partnership with IFF to provide information and resources on real estate. Watch for information about future events coming soon, and view the recording from our last event about Exploring Real Estate for Arts Organizations here!
