Hello! My name is Jalynn Webb, I am a Chicago native who grew up on the South Side of the city. While in high school, I attended Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy. I have a degree in Political Science and two minors, one in Art History, and another in Environmental Studies. I currently work for Chicago Public Schools as a Student Leadership Coordinator and Student Stewardship Coordinator for an internship program called CIMBY. I work with high schoolers, like yourself, to learn about various environmental topics and civic engagement. I look forward to getting to know you and being your Mentor for this program! 

Jack Rocha, MUPP, is a Community Development Planner with the Great Cities Institute (GCI) at University of Illinois at Chicago (2013-present), where he engages in urban planning, research, and building connections between local communities and the Great Cities Institute’s Neighborhoods Initiative. Projects include commercial corridor plans with Chicago’s South Chicago community area and Calumet City, a suburb south of Chicago; and neighborhood plans for the Rosemoor and North Pullman, and the Back of the Yards communities. He is also responsible for organizing community development projects as part of GCIs continued commitment to Chicago’s Southeast Side. He works on program development with other UIC departments related to GCI initiatives. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (2004) and Master of Urban Planning and Policy (2015), both from University of Illinois at Chicago.

Previously, Rocha interned with Claretian Associates (2014), a Chicago community development corporation, where he engaged in homeowner outreach, developed a database of housing constructed by Claretian Associates, designed a survey for homeowner engagement, and created detailed descriptors of Claretian housing styles. He also served as an intern for Chicago’s 10th Ward Alderman (2011-2013), where he helped coordinate government services for residents and completed policy research.

Rocha’s interests include neighborhood history and change, urban design, community development, housing, manufacturing, and workforce development.

Chloe Gurin-Sands believes that every community deserves to have what it needs to thrive. Throughout her career, she has worked to advance health equity through the fields of urban planning, environment, and public health. Chloe has held professional roles in qualitative and quantitative research, intergroup dialogue facilitation, community engagement, student leadership, land use policy and planning, and philanthropy. Her volunteer work has included serving as a mentor and chaperone for youth-driven service learning and peer-learning programs. Chloe holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish from the University of Michigan, and a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has lived in Chicago for 9 years.

Edward Coleman is the Human Resources Manager of the Environmental Justice Section at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. He has over 25 years of experience in Human Resources and Human Services. As a student at Bradley University, he began his career in public service in Peoria, Illinois with the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) program. Prior to joining the MWRD, he also worked for the City of St. Louis’ Department of Human Services – Youth & Family Services Division as a Community Program Specialist and later in the Human Resources Department for South Shore Community Hospital on the South Side of Chicago. He is committed to serving overlooked and underrepresented communities through public service.