Rebekah has led solutions to complex urban development challenges throughout her career in both the public and private sectors. She is President and CEO of Civic Consulting
Alliance (CCA), a nonprofit bringing together staff and the business community to provide pro bono expertise to government & civic leaders. Prior to joining the organization in March 2020, Rebekah spent years contributing to CCA as both a partner providing pro bono consulting services and a client who leveraged those services to improve regional transportation.
Under Rebekah's leadership, Civic Consulting Alliance has secured record levels of pro bono support, delivering more than $100 million in pro bono services to regional government and civic leaders over the past six years. After becoming CCA’s President and CEO in March 2020, she helped mobilize $10.6 million in pro bono services within her first 15 weeks to support COVID-19 rapid-response efforts and guide leaders in developing equitable, sustainable
recovery plans under the American Rescue Plan Act. In 2025, CCA marked its 40th anniversary
by launching a new strategic plan that positions the organization as a cornerstone of the civic
ecosystem and advances a more vibrant, equitable, and prosperous Chicago region for all. The
plan also established a new Health focus area that has accelerated partnerships with the City,
County, and State clients to respond to changes in federal policy and funding. Throughout, the
plan reaffirms the values that have long defined Civic Consulting Alliance: bringing the right
people together to get big things done for the Chicago region.
Prior to joining CCA, Rebekah served as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of
Transportation, where she spearheaded many of the Emanuel Administration’s key transportation initiatives. Her achievements include overseeing the Vision Zero Chicago traffic safety plan, the Riverwalk, the 606, the Loop Link, the Union Station Transit Center, new CTA elevated stations at Washington-Wabash and Cermak Road, new pedestrian and bike bridges over Lake Shore Drive at 35th and 41st Streets, the planning process for transportation improvements needed for the Obama Presidential Center, and the citywide “smart” street lighting modernization.
Rebekah also served as the Chief Planning Officer and a Senior Vice President at the Chicago
Transit Authority, where she led strategic planning for major capital projects, including the Red Purple Modernization and Red Line Extension, and the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit service improvements. Before that, she worked as an attorney at Mayer Brown, representing public-and private-sector clients on major infrastructure and transportation projects. Earlier, she worked in real estate development at East Lake Development Corp., specializing in affordable housing and public housing redevelopment.
Rebekah has a BA in Urban Studies from Brown University and both her JD and MBA from
Northwestern University. She is on the Board of Directors of the Civic Federation and the
Woodstock Institute, a member of the Economic Club and The Chicago Network, and a Leadership Greater Chicago Burnham Fellow and a CEO Perspectives Fellow. She lives with her
family on the Northwest Side of Chicago.
