Prioritizing Equitable Investment: Speaker Information

Jordan Bailly
Associate of Land Use and ETOD, Metropolitan Planning Council 
Jordan joined MPC as an Associate in August of 2020 after previously working as a Research Assistant. Jordan supports the organization’s Land Use and Planning team as well as the Equitable Transit Oriented Development initiatives.  Jordan is a registered Architect in Illinois, and brings a background that overlaps architecture, design, and planning to his role at MPC. 

Jordan received a Masters in Planning and Public Policy from the University of Illinois, Chicago where he focused on ecological resources and environmental planning and policy. Prior to attending graduate school, Jordan worked as an architect in Chicago for 5 years after receiving a Bachelors in Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology. As an architect, he honed his understanding of the complex development process in Chicago while working on a number of retail, commercial, and multi-family projects in the region. 

Originally from Alaska, Jordan has lived in the South Loop for nearly a decade.  He enjoys the city wide access living close to public transportation provides, and exploring the Chicago River and Lake Michigan by kayak.  Jordan lives with his fiance and approximately 40 house plants.

Michael Davidson
Senior Director of Community Impact, The Chicago Community Trust
Michael Davidson (he/his) is a senior director at The Chicago Community Trust, where he leads the Catalyzing Neighborhood Investment strategy. His portfolio creates the enabling environment for disinvested communities to attract, retain, and own investment. Prior to this role, Davidson was the Trust’s senior program officer in sustainable development. During his tenure at the Trust, he has been involved in the creation of such bold initiatives as Elevated Chicago, Community Desk Chicago, Food:Land:Opportunity – Localizing the Chicago Foodshed, the Pre-Development Fund, and Great Rivers Chicago.

Prior to joining the Trust, Davidson was Midwest Director for ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability USA, where he provided technical support to 90 Midwest member local governments with climate, energy and sustainability initiatives. He has also worked as a program officer at the Great Lakes Protection Fund and manager of the Campaign for Sensible Growth. At the Campaign, Davidson worked with municipal officials, elected leaders and community groups in the Chicago region on efforts ranging from hands-on technical assistance in communities grappling with specific development challenges to high-level support for regional planning policy, including helping to establish the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning as the region’s planning authority.

Davidson spent the first nine years of his career in the research department of the American Planning Association (APA), where he provided planning practitioners with best practices in urban and regional planning. He also served as APA’s co-editor of Zoning Practice, a serial publication on zoning provision and land use policy and produced over 100 issues.

He earned a graduate degree from DePaul University’s School of Public Service and has authored and produced over 30 articles and technical reports on contemporary planning issues. He lives, runs, and gardens in Chicago’s North Park neighborhood with his husband Christopher and dog Robin.

Christina Harris
Director of Land Use and Planning, Metropolitan Planning Council
As Director of Land Use and Planning for MPC, Christina focuses on the intersection of planning, development, land use and open space and considers how these broad issues impact other MPC programmatic areas. She provides leadership and support for river related efforts, including Our Great Rivers, with highlights from the initiative recently documented in an Achievements and Priorities report. MPC is also playing an active role in We Will Chicago, the first citywide plan since the 1960’s. An MPC-hosted stakeholder workshop series resulted in co-created recommendations that are helping to shape an inclusive planning process.

Prior to joining MPC, Christina practiced landscape architecture and urban planning at Midwest firms. She leverages her knowledge to help develop sustainable, pragmatic solutions for communities and cities. As a landscape architect, she worked on projects at a range of scales, from managing neighborhood plans to detail design for parks, with several of her projects winning awards from local chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Christina received her master’s degree in landscape architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) and her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University with a concentration in anthropology and environmental studies. Christina currently serves on the Harvard GSD Alumni Council and was a 2020 Chicago Urban League Impact Fellow.

Bernard Loyd, PhD
President of Urban Juncture
Bernard Loyd is founder and president of Urban Juncture, Inc. and Urban Juncture Foundation, social enterprises focused on revitalizing urban communities. He leads the Build Bronzeville project, a collaborative effort that uses deeply-rooted community assets, including cuisine, culture, and history, to revitalize commerce and rebuild community in that historic Chicago neighborhood. Build Bronzeville initiatives, including the Bronzeville Incubator, Boxville, Bronzeville Cookin’, The Forum, and Engage Bronzeville, are transforming the retail areas adjacent to the CTA Green Line transit hubs at 51st and 43rd Streets.

Between 1990 and 2003, Bernard helped senior corporate leaders around the world expand existing businesses, create new businesses, and improve operations as a member of the management consulting firm of McKinsey & Company. Bernard’s contributions at McKinsey include co-founding its global Agriculture and Food Chains initiative and leading world-wide client development and service in that arena. He also co-founded and led the firm-wide group of Black consultants, which drove substantial increases in the number of Black consultants at McKinsey and became a model for similar groups at other professional firms. In addition, he co-founded the Chicago Office’s Social Ventures sector and worked with public sector clients to address key regional issues. He was the first African-American elected partner in McKinsey’s Chicago office.

Bernard’s civic efforts are focused on improving access to economic opportunity. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Governors of the Metropolitan Planning Council. He has served as member and chairman of the Board of Trustees of Centers for New Horizons, as co-chairman of the governor-appointed Dan Ryan Taskforce, and as convener of the Friends of the Checkerboard Lounge. He also has served on the board of trustees of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A native of Chicago’s West Side, Bernard was raised primarily in Liberia. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees from MIT, including a doctorate in computational fluid dynamics and a masters of science in business. He and his family reside in Bronzeville.