Lunchtime Conversation with Alumni Lisa DiChiera (MSHP '92), Director of Advocacy at Landmarks Illinois

Lisa DiChiera (MSHP '92), the Director of Advocacy at Landmarks Illinois , will talk about her recent Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion centered work in Chicago, IL. The event is sponsored by The Penn Preservation Student Association (PPSA). Registration information sent via email to students. 

Pre-Discussion Material: 

• Watch this short video just released by Landmarks Illinois as part of our 50th anniversary. 

• PRESERVATION EFFORTS AT MUDDY WATERS HOUSE PROGRESS THANKS TO CRITICAL GRANT FUNDING The cover story of Landmarks Illinois recent newsletter is about their work with the great granddaughter of Muddy Waters in the effort to rehabilitate his former home and open it as a museum/cultural exhibition center on this life and the Chicago Blues.  

• PEOPLE SAVING PLACES, ROUTE HISTORY IN SPRINGFIELD HIGHLIGHTS AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE ON ‘MOTHER ROAD’ The cover story of a past  Landmarks Illinois newsletter about an organization called Route History, Inc. bringing attention to African American history in Springfield IL and along old Route 66. In the same issue there is also an interview with DiChiera because of her 20 year anniversary with Landmarks Illinois.

• The planned location of the Obama Presidential Center in the National Register-listed, Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side has been very controversial. Landmarks Illinois participated in a long Section 106 review process as a consulting party. While our colleague preservation/open space advocacy organizations did not sign the final MOA, Landmarks Illinois chose to sign on as a concurring party. 
  • Landmarks Illinois decision explanation: STATEMENT FROM LANDMARKS ILLINOIS REGARDING THE FINAL SECTION 106 MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT FOR THE OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER
  • The city's  public page on the entire process: Federal Review of Jackson Park Improvements
  • A news story gives an interesting perspective: South Side Coalition Tells Obama Center Obstructionists: Enough Is Enough

If you require any accessibility accommodation, such as live captioning, audio description, or a sign language interpreter, please email news@design.upenn.edu to let us know what you need. Please note, we require at least 48 hours’ notice. If you register within 48 hours of this event, we won’t be able to secure the appropriate accommodations.

LISA DiCHIERA, DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY, LANDMARKS ILLINOIS Ms. DiChiera has been director of advocacy for Landmarks Illinois since 2003. She was the organization’s director of Chicago programs from 1994- 1997. As director of advocacy, Lisa is on the frontline of all calls for assistance on preservation issues from Landmarks Illinois members and the public and manages Landmarks Illinois’ major advocacy initiatives in the Chicagoland area, including condition, reuse and feasibility studies for threatened historic buildings. Lisa administers the statewide Most Endangered Historic Places program and developed and oversees Landmark Illinois’ Women Who Built Illinois initiative. From 1998-2002, she worked for the Detroit office of Hines Interests coordinating the urban planning components and public approval processes for General Motors’ renovation of the John Portman-designed Renaissance Center as its new corporate headquarters. Throughout the project, she worked closely with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill on planning efforts for GM’s River East parcels and approvals for infrastructure and riverfront improvements. She worked previously for the Midwest Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Architecture Department of the Chicago History Museum. In Detroit, she served on the boards of Preservation Detroit and the Michigan Historic Preservation Network. She currently serves on the board of Glessner House and on the Land Use & Housing Committee of Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and Advocacy Committee of Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. She has been twice named (2017, 2019) to the Newcity “Design 50” list of the 50 people shaping Chicago design. Lisa received her B.A. in art and architectural history from UCLA and an M.S. in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.