A Letter from New CCAC Executive Director
Dear CCAC and ARD Members and Supporters,
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I am honored to have been named the next Executive Director of Chicago Central Area Committee and the new President & CEO of Alliance for Regional Development. I look forward to working with you on the opportunities and challenges ahead of us. We have big issues to tackle and some amazing opportunities on the horizon. I am confident that together we can develop the strategies and programs to make the most of them.
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I have had the good fortune to lead several organizations – large and small – over the course of my career. This has included strategy development and implementation, membership recruitment and retention, fundraising and development, and significant growth and change management. When I learned about CCAC and ARD and their important work, I felt a calling, as if my previous career and experience had led me to this opportunity, and back to Chicagoland where I was born and raised.
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CCAC along with ARD have the potential to play an even greater role in the success of Chicago and its surrounding mega-region. Our leadership will help usher Chicago into a bright future.
I look forward to growing our impact through strategic initiatives including increased partnerships, membership, programming, and the required funding to attain this increase in impact. Very soon we’ll begin a formal strategic planning process involving both CCAC and the Alliance and we’ll be reaching out to many individuals for input. In the meantime, please get in touch with me directly with your thoughts, advice, and just to introduce yourselves. I look forward to speaking with you.
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Thank you in advance for your continued support of these important organizations.
Mark Hopkins
CCAC Executive Director
Alliance for Regional Development President & CEO