Tracy Murray

I've spent 20 years in public service and community service, with 15 years dedicated to my current mission. I work for the City of Chicago government as Chief of Staff at an Alderman office, where everything in my position is about the public and community engagement. I started out with a business degree and finance background, working in finance after college. But in 2008, when the finance industry crashed, I transitioned into public service a few years later and started working at the Alderman office. I never imagined I'd be in a political role, but I love working for the community and advocating for the community. In my position, I collaborate with different organizations and work closely with a nonprofit I co-founded with residents in my area, the Historic Pullman Empowerment Organization. I live in the Pullman community, which was designated as Chicago's first national park back in 2015. It's a historical community, and when I bought my house there, revitalization was just starting to flourish. Part of the community was up and running and sustainable, but part wasn't, so myself and neighbors started the Historic Pullman Empowerment Organization to advocate for the community. We do a lot of mentoring with youth, take kids camping (this is our third year), and host intergenerational events because we have a huge senior population in our ward. We do events for Black History Month and community clean-ups, and we're getting our community back to where neighbors know their neighbors. What I'm most proud of is engaging with the community and being that person who works with everyone, knocking down barriers and getting us working together again, even when there are politics in nonprofits and among residents.