Throughout his career, attorney Gery Chico has served in significant leadership roles in Chicago. He also ran twice for mayor, including this past February, during a historic election that fielded 14 candidates. Chico will present What Should Chicago's Future Be? for this year’s Andrew K. Prinz Lecture for Political Awareness at Elmhurst College.

A partner in the law firm of Chico & Nunes, Chico was recruited by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1992 to be his chief of staff. He went on hold to key posts in Chicago and statewide, including president of the Chicago Board of Education, board president of the Chicago Park District, board chairman of the City Colleges of Chicago and chair of the Illinois State Board of Education.

He based his mayoral campaign on his experience serving the city, and pledged to use Chicago’s resources to generate wealth in poor communities while maintaining its business-friendly reputation and trajectory as a technology hub.