Chicago City Wire

The Cook County Land Bank Authority is excited to announce that Eleanor Gorski has been appointed the organization’s new Executive Director and will begin to lead the Land Bank on August 1st.

Gorski, a city planning expert who previously spent more than two decades in the City’s Planning and Development Department, is succeeding Rob Rose, who is stepping down after leading the CCLBA for six years.

“We are thrilled to have the expertise and experience of Eleanor Gorski as Executive Director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority,” said Bridget Gainer, Cook County Board Commissioner and Chair of the CCLBA Board. “Eleanor brings over 25 years of experience working from the ground up to create thriving communities through development, design and local engagement. Chicago and Cook County have a long history of housing, development and property tax policy that exacerbated disinvestment and abandonment, especially in Black and Latino communities, and Eleanor is dedicated to finding innovative solutions. The Land Bank will benefit from Eleanor’s perspective as we continue our groundbreaking work to generate community wealth, empower developers to invest in their communities and lower the barriers to market access for homeowners, developers and small business owners.”

As covered in Crain’s Chicago Business, Gorski brings a wealth of experience in city planning and development to the Land Bank. She played a crucial role in connecting City Hall and local developers for important projects and was also a key player in the creation of the City's Neighborhood Opportunity Bonus Program in 2016. This landmark program allows developers to build larger projects than zoning limits allow in certain parts of downtown as long as they pay into a fund that is used to award grants to small, local businesses on the South and West sides.

Among her priorities upon stepping into the role, Gorski plans to align with Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West initiative, which will channel $750 million in public resources into blighted commercial corridors in 10 South and West Side neighborhoods.

“I’m delighted to accept the role of Executive Director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority and eager to build on the impressive accomplishments of the Land Bank over the last eight years,” said Eleanor Gorski, Executive Director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority. “I’ve always been passionate about finding innovative solutions to old challenges, and the Land Bank is one of the most innovative approaches to decades of discriminatory housing policy that devastated our South and West Sides as well as communities throughout the county. I look forward to working with the Land Bank’s team of dedicated professionals to expand its reach and transforming the way community development happens in Cook County.”

The Cook County Land Bank Authority is also pleased to announce that Senior Acquisition Manager Darlene Dugo has been promoted to Deputy Director. We look forward to the Land Bank’s next chapter with Director Gorski and Deputy Director Dugo at the helm.