Shana Alford
Shana Alford, a native New Yorker, moved to Chicago in 2004 to obtain her MPP (Masters in Public Policy) from the University of Chicago. During her time in graduate school she spent a summer in Ghana working for the U.S. State Department. Before her career change to the public sector, she studied business administration at Temple University, focusing on finance and marketing, and immediately worked at a global telecommunications company after graduation. She has also worked for a 501 (c) non-profit organization focused on international microfinance in emerging economies.
She currently works at CMAP providing support on the 2040 Regional Comprehensive Plan by working on strategy research, public outreach, and data analysis. She lives in South Shore and when she is not working, she loves to travel, read, spend time with friends and family, and volunteer in the community.
Lindsay Banks
Lindsay Banks was born in Denver but spent most of her childhood in suburban Lake County. She went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to get a degree in Urban and Regional Planning, and spent two years as a Municipal Development volunteer for the Peace Corps in rural Guatemala. After getting a master’s degree in GIS, she worked for the Department of Transportation for two years, promoting the use of advanced technology and visualization at State DOTs across the country.
She has been working at CMAP for almost a year now, and recently finished the Infill Snapshot Report that assesses the regional potential for infill development. She is an avid bike commuter and lives in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago.
Randy Blankenhorn
Randy Blankenhorn is the executive director of CMAP, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (http://www.cmap.illinois.gov), which is responsible for comprehensive planning across seven counties -- Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will -- that make up northeastern Illinois.
Under his leadership, CMAP has consolidated the previously separate regional planning agencies for land use and transportation. Randy and his staff have begun the process of developing the metropolitan Chicago area’s first truly comprehensive regional plan, which will be published in 2010.
He has over 20 years experience in the planning, development and implementation of transportation infrastructure projects for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). As IDOT Bureau Chief of Urban Program Planning just prior to joining CMAP in May 2006, he coordinated the activities of the 14 metropolitan planning organizations across the State of Illinois. He grew up in McHenry County and is a big fan of Illinois sports teams, including one that has waited a century for a championship!
Stephen Ostrander
Stephen Ostrander joined CMAP last year, and spends most of his days focused on providing technical assistance to communities, along with helping out with development of the Go To 2040 plan. He received his masters in urban and environmental planning from the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia, and previously worked at the Environmental Simulation Center in New York City.
Before embarking on his planning career, Stephen was Senior Editor at PBS and Encyclopedia Britannica, and developed exhibitions on American history at the Smithsonian Institution. He did his undergraduate work at Stanford University, and has a masters in history from Duke University.
Born and raised in the District of Columbia, Stephen is thankful to call Chicago home. He and his wife live in the city’s Rogers Park neighborhood, spending most of their waking hours tending to their new daughter Nora, also known as “the Empress.”
Ingrid Ruttendjie
Ingrid Ruttendjie is a native of the north side of Chicago and grew up in Prospect Heights. With her degree from Northern Illinois University, she began her career as an industrial hygienist and later moved to U.S EPA, Region 5, in 1989, as an Enforcement Officer & Planner for the Air and Water Divisions and the Groundwater Protection Branch.
In 1997, Ingrid became the Executive Director of the Fox Waterway Agency. Under her leadership, the Agency has evolved into the “coordinator of Federal, State and local efforts” that the State legislature envisioned in 1984. With a main mission to restore environmental quality, the Agency has an extensive dredging program promoting beneficial re-use of lake and river sediment. The Agency also constructs large-scale shoreline stabilization and wetland restorations. She prides the Agency in being a pragmatic leader in solving and balancing complex environmental, social and recreational issues within the busiest inland waterway in the United States.
Ingrid lives in north McHenry County with her three active children. She is an avid outdoorswoman who “loves to do boy stuff” like boating, hunting/shooting sports, and adventure travel, and will serve also the President of McHenry Rotary in 2008-9.
Gordon Smith
Gordon Smith joined the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) in 2006 as Deputy Executive Director of External Relations. He spent 20 years with the state of Illinois in various roles at the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Office of the Governor. He’s experienced in government relations including federal, state and local elected officials and agencies. He served as the Governor’s Official Representative to the Illinois General Assembly and most recently as the Senior Metropolitan Planning Manager at IDOT.
Recognizing that public participation is a key component in effective planning Gordon will be working to increase public awareness and participation into the regional planning and the GO TO 2040 planning process. He lives in Naperville with his wife and three kids.
Diana Torres
Diana Torres has been in living in Aurora since July 2007. She was born in Bogota, Colombia and attended New York City public schools until being accepted into Deerfield Academy, a boarding school in MA. She then attended Kenyon College (Gambier, OH), where she majored in English and Sociology. Most recently, Diana has obtained her Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of South Florida. Diana has worked in the admission office for an educational not-for-profit organization in New York, served as an undergraduate instructor of Sociology at USF, and was previously employed by a community foundation in Chicago.
At CMAP, Diana is responsible for conducting Latino Outreach. As a member of the External Relations department, she also contributes to other exciting initiatives involving the general public. In her free time, Diana likes to spend quality time with her spouse and their dog, Chuchi.