Helene Gayle Plans Departure from The Chicago Community Trust

The Trust remains committed to working alongside partners to build a Chicago region where equity is central—and opportunity and prosperity are in reach for all

CHICAGO – April 25, 2022 – After nearly five years as the President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, Helene D. Gayle has announced her decision to step down in June to serve as President of Spelman College, in Atlanta, Ga., pending board approval. Gayle has been a groundbreaking leader, steering one of the nation’s oldest and largest community foundations to shift its focus to advancing racial and ethnic equity to overcome a growing wealth gap.

Under her leadership, the Trust adopted a 10-year strategic plan to address wealth inequity in the Chicago region and built a new policy and advocacy team that seeks to address the systems and policies that helped create the conditions for the gap to exist and grow over time. Since the pandemic, Gayle has shown steadfast leadership, driving attention and resources for the equitable distribution of emergency response resources, vaccine access, and recovery efforts in Black and Latinx communities.

During her tenure, Trust assets have grown from roughly $2.8 billion to $4.7 billion and, in fiscal year 2021 alone, made grant commitments totaling more than $1.7 billion through the Trust and affiliated donor advised programs. Meanwhile, the Trust has made more than 850 discretionary grants aligned with our goals, totaling more than $77 million, to more than 500 unique organizations.

“Helene Gayle has been the transformative leader The Chicago Community Trust needed as we looked to evolve as an organization to most effectively serve the Chicago region,” said Jim Reynolds, chair of The Chicago Community Trust Executive Committee. “The Executive Committee is thankful for the work she has done on behalf of the Trust and the people who have and will benefit from her service. We stand ready to build off her inspiring leadership, working alongside a highly engaged civic community, a legion of philanthropic innovators, and passionate community residents to close the racial and ethnic wealth gap, address our region’s critical needs and connect our donors’ philanthropy to impact.”

“I have traveled and worked across the globe and one of the first things I discovered when I moved to Chicago is that it has one of the most engaged civic communities and strongest networks of dedicated nonprofits that I have ever seen,” said Gayle. “I have grown to love this city, where there is an incredible sense of goodwill and commitment to making it a more equitable place for all who live here. This has been a rewarding and inspiring experience that I will keep with me always.”

As COVID-19 hit, Gayle leveraged her expertise to establish collaborative efforts to address the health and economic inequities caused by the pandemic. In March 2020, The Chicago Community Trust and United Way of Metro Chicago launched the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund, one of the largest pandemic response funds in the country. As a result, more than 6,000 foundations, corporations, and individual donors contributed $35 million to over 400 nonprofit organizations providing emergency services to people most impacted by COVID-19. As vaccines became available, the Trust joined forces to launch the Chicagoland Vaccine Partnership to amplify hyper-local, community-led, culturally responsive strategies for equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, providing a more just way of ensuring health across the Chicago region.

“From the earliest days of the pandemic, Helene was aware of our need to come together as a community to ensure our most vulnerable residents had the essential resources they needed and that we would stay focused on the recovery work that would follow. Helene’s leadership and partnership set a tone that has carried us through,” said Sean Garrett, president and chief executive officer of United Way of Metro Chicago. “On a personal level, Helene is a unique leader who brings out the best in everyone around her; I have personally grown tremendously as a leader thanks to Helene’s friendship and partnership.”

“Dr. Helene Gayle has been a truly invaluable partner to the City in her role as President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust,” said Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “With a commitment to equity, working to close the racial and ethnic disparities across our city, she made a remarkable difference in the lives of our residents through compassionate leadership and fierce advocacy. I wish her all the best in this new chapter of her life, and look forward to continued partnership with the Trust.”

“Since Helene has been at the Trust, I’ve been able to witness philanthropy listening to what we’ve been saying we needed in our communities. Her leadership has given us the flexibility to try new things. We’ve all been able to grow as leaders watching her,” said Ghian Foreman, president and CEO of Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative. “As an HBCU grad and father of a Spelman student, I am personally and selfishly excited for my daughter and all the other young Black women who will get to see such a stellar example of what leadership is.”

Gayle was just the seventh person and first Black woman to lead the 107-year-old foundation. The Trust’s Executive Committee will undertake the search for her successor.