Alex Kotlowitz and Rudy Lozano, Jr., external advisors to the Chicago Commitment team, reflect on their experience working with MacArthur to strategically support our communities.
Proud Chicagoans Alex Kotlowitz and Rudy Lozano, Jr. recently rotated out of their roles as external advisors to the Chicago Commitment Program. Since the early days of its work, the Chicago team has relied upon the wisdom of local leaders like Kotlowitz and Lozano to advise us on our strategy and the implementation of our work. As we did when two prior external advisors, Ghian Foreman and Maria Gaspar, stepped out of this role, we invited Kotlowitz and Lozano to share their reflections on this experience. We share their ruminations below and extend our gratitude for their valuable contributions to our team.
Alex Kotlowitz, Author & Journalist
I love this city—and bemoan all its shortcomings, all the places where it has failed its residents. I’ve been good over the years at spotting those places where we’ve come up short and not as good at figuring out what to do about it. Spending time with a group of people—the Chicago Commitment team and the other external advisors—whose very souls are wired to finding solutions has been invigorating. I’ve learned so much about the city, a city which I thought I knew so well. And I’ve come away with this deep well of respect for those who seek answers—and in some cases demand answers—to some of our city’s (and nation’s) most tangled and stubborn issues. Studs Terkel liked to say, “If the community isn’t doing alright neither am I.” I feel like that notion serves as the north star for the Chicago Commitment team and its external advisors. I feel privileged to have been on this journey with you.
Rudy Lozano, Jr., Executive Director, Global Philanthropy, Head of The Fellowship Initiative, JP Morgan Chase & Co.
My experience as an external advisor for the Chicago Commitment at MacArthur was full of fruitful dialogue, radical candor, and love. During my tenure I learned about the work the Chicago Commitment team was engaged in. I, along with my fellow advisors, was entrusted with the opportunity to weigh in and provide constructive feedback on strategies and approaches to the team’s work. Our conversations often centered on the need for more racial equity within the field of philanthropy as well as where grant dollars go within Chicago—in particular, how to invest more in the South and West Sides. We read articles, heard from guest speakers, presented, and discussed how to improve the state of our city by lifting up communities that have been historically disinvested and oppressed. I greatly appreciated feeling comfortable sharing my views and knowing they were being heard. Together with the Chicago Commitment team, we shared our perspectives and experiences working and living in Chicago, and we focused on building multiracial unity and opportunities for empowering communities of color.
The Chicago Commitment Program’s dedication to sustaining a group of external advisors is key to ensuring the team’s work is grounded in the lived experiences and needs of Chicago’s working-class communities. I believe this approach should be the standard for how philanthropic organizations and foundations operate to maintain accountability and credibility in their grantmaking.
