Jemia Cunningham-Elder, Chief Executive Officer of North Lawndale College Prep, has been selected to join the 2027 Class of Signature Fellows with Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC). She is one of just 43 leaders chosen region-wide for the organization’s premier civic leadership development program.
“I am honored to be named to the 2027 Class of Signature Fellows,” said Cunningham-Elder. “Leading North Lawndale College Prep has taught me that our scholars’ futures aren’t only shaped by what happens inside our walls. They’re shaped by housing policy, economic opportunity and decisions made in rooms our community isn’t always invited into. This fellowship is a chance to spend a year in those rooms: learning alongside leaders across Chicago, understanding how this city works and how to turn that into real impact for the families we serve. I’m bringing everything North Lawndale has taught me into this experience, and I plan to bring everything I learn right back home.”
Cunningham-Elder will join a cross-section of leaders from the corporate, nonprofit, philanthropic, government and education sectors for a 10-month fellowship that uses the city as a classroom. The cohort exposes participants to the civic issues shaping the Greater Chicago region. It tackles community safety, health inequality, affordable housing, education and workforce development, the same set of challenges Cunningham-Elder confronts daily leading NLCP.
Born and raised in Chicago, Cunningham-Elder became passionate about education during college, when she was exposed to slave narratives and other influential texts, including the autobiographies of Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X. Learning about the power of education, especially in the Black community, inspired her to dedicate her career to creating positive change through supporting the education of others. She joined NLCP as Director of External Affairs before being appointed CEO in September 2022.
For more than 25 years, NLCP has been unwavering in its mission to empower students with the necessary tools to earn a college diploma. NLCP is the top college prep public school in North Lawndale, and the 2026 graduating class earned $21.6 million in scholarships. Twenty graduating scholars earned at least 3-6 college credits from the school’s university partner, University of Illinois Chicago, for free thanks to the dual-enrollment partnership. 100% of NLCP graduates were accepted to college or a career pathway of their choice, with expanded pathways, including 2-year and 4-year degree programs, apprenticeships, trade schools and work-based learning programs where students can “earn while they learn” on the job towards a certificate or credential.
“Now, more than ever, our Fellows represent the collective power that is needed to meet the moment and steer our communities through challenging and uncertain times,” said LGC Chief
Executive Officer Myetie Hamilton (LGC Fellow since 2016). “We welcome the diverse perspectives and passion for meaningful collaborations that the LGC Signature Fellows Class of 2027 will bring and the promise of transformation that is possible when compassionate, courageous cross-sector civic leaders come together and work across lines of difference to improve the lives of Chicagoans for generations.”
More than 1,600 leaders have successfully completed LGC’s world-class civic leadership development fellowships since 1985. Each year, a new class of leaders for the LGC Signature Fellows Program is selected through a competitive application process and approved by the LGC Board of Directors. Upon successful completion of all program requirements, they are recognized as LGC Fellows. The application for the Class of 2028 will open in October 2026. For more information, visit lgcchicago.org.
About Leadership Greater Chicago Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC) is the region’s premier civic leadership development incubator, delivering the knowledge and network to lead bold, transformative change. LGC convenes, connects and activates the area’s most promising leaders around key socioeconomic issues through dynamic education and experiential activities. These diverse individuals represent the most prominent corporate, nonprofit, philanthropic, government and education organizations.
LGC creates connectivity among its Fellows to positively impact not only themselves but their employees, their constituents, their clients, their neighbors and their families. This connectivity is the backbone and strength of the LGC network, enabling leaders to leverage collective resources to make the Greater Chicago Region a more dynamic, inclusive and collaborative community.
LGC Fellows are a distinguished group that includes former First Lady Michelle Obama; Managing Partner of Emerson Collective and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan; former Executive Chairman of Urban Partnership Bank David Vitale; Co-CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Ariel Investments John Rogers, Jr.; General Partner of Henry Crown & Company Steve Crown; Managing Partner, CAST US at Cleveland Avenue Andy Zopp; Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services for the State of Illinois Grace Hou; Chairman, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Rachel Arfa; President of United Airlines Holdings, Inc. Brett Hart; Chancellor of Chicago City Colleges and MacArthur Genius Juan Salgado; President and CEO of Metropolitan Family Services Ric Estrada; and President and CEO of Access Living Karen Tamley.
Leadership Greater Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To learn more, visit: lgcchicago.org. About North Lawndale College Prep North Lawndale College Prep (NLCP) is a charter high school serving grades 9-12 on Chicago’s West Side, giving students from the historically underserved North Lawndale community a clear path to and through college for more than 25 years. Today, NLCP educates more than 750 students. Through academic rigor paired with a culture of love and support, NLCP prepared its
Class of 2026 to earn $21.6 million in scholarships, with select graduates banking college credit through a dual-enrollment partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago. NLCP is led by CEO Jemia Cunningham-Elder. To learn more, visit www.nlcphs.org.
