The Obama Foundation has hired Lori Healey to manage the construction and operations of the Obama Presidential Center planned for Chicago’s Jackson Park. Until the announcement, Healey had served as president of Clayco’s Chicago unit.
As first reported in Crain’s, Healey’s tenure with the Obama Foundation will commence on December 1st and she will report to executive director Robbin Cohen. Healey joined Clayco last September. This followed her tenure as chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), where she oversaw the McCormick Square campus.
Other roles for Healey have included CEO of Tur Partners LLC and principal in the development group for the John Buck Company. Before entering the private sector she held several senior leadership positions for the city of Chicago, most recently as Mayor Daley’s chief of staff.
The Obama Presidential Center will include a presidential museum, public plaza, classrooms and labs. The center will focus on community engagement and what it means to be a citizen. It will conduct programs that give visitors tools for change in their community. Through partnerships and digital initiatives the reach of the center will stretch across the city.
