Julie Knowles worked with Civic Consulting Alliance from August to December 2018 as a fellow from Bain . Jeremy Leon worked with Civic Consulting Alliance from October to December 2018 as a fellow from CIBC .
 
What project work were you involved in during your time at the Civic Consulting Alliance?
 
Jeremy Leon: While at the Civic Consulting Alliance I worked with West Side United, a collaborative of six hospital systems on Chicago’s West Side working to build community health and economic wellness through 10 priority initiatives. My work centered on West Side United's education initiative, which is one of the 10 priority areas. Specifically, I helped develop the collective’s education strategy, which will lay the groundwork for how West Side United can leverage the resources and capabilities of its member hospitals to impact education outcomes and student health in West Side schools. 

Julie Knowles: I worked with the Chicago Police Department to support its Office of Community Policing. The Office's goal is to ensure that the Department maintains focus on community policing at every level. My work focused on documenting and categorizing all current community policing initiatives within the Department and identifying potential metrics to track community policing outcomes.

What will you take away from your time at Civic Consulting Alliance?

JL: One thing I came to really appreciate is the power of collective impact. It’s hard to make change in silos. To impact communities, it’s important to align resources, energy, and human capital across institutions, across sectors, and across stakeholder groups. 

JK: My time at Civic Consulting Alliance really highlighted the unique opportunities and challenges of working with government organizations, in comparison to working in the private sector.

How has your time at Civic Consulting Alliance helped you develop professionally?

JL: I think that the most important tool Civic Consulting Alliance gave me was how to think through a long-term lens, and develop intermediate processes to move toward those objectives. While thinking about macro issues such as education, it was important to have a long-term vision, but also to establish short-term goals and milestones to move towards that vision.  

JK:  I started working at Bain right after I graduated from college, so working with a public sector entity like the Chicago Police Department broadened my perspective about the different ways consultants can support organizations in creating impact.

Civic Consulting Alliance Fellowships are full-time positions that last between three months and a year. In every case, Fellows are integrated into project teams for a unique professional development opportunity. Please visit the   Fellowships   page on our website to learn more.