Lorne Steedley, an equity and diversity leader who has worked in Atlanta, Boston and Baltimore on community building, philanthropy and civic involvement projects, has joined the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce as vice president of diversity and inclusive growth.
Steedley, a former research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at the University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, has served in a variety of roles in neighborhood and foundation groups working on equity issues.
"Lorne Steedley brings a depth of experience in economic and community development, urban studies and equity-focused collaboration in the business and philanthropic sectors to our talented Chattanooga Chamber team," said Christy Gillenwater, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.. "Lorne will help us move our community closer to the Velocity2040 and Chattanooga Climbs vision of an inclusive economy and collaborative leadership – a community where every resident is thriving,"
Velocity2040 is a community-wide visioning process that included a survey to which some 5,000 Hamilton County residents responded, expressing their dreams for the future of Chattanooga. Chattanooga Climbs is a 5-year economic and talent development strategic plan that identified economic equity and diversity as targeted goals for the Chamber's economic development strategy for the first time.
"We are looking forward to working together and I'm excited about the fresh perspectives he will bring to our community," Gillenwater said.
Steedley was previously a board member for the Four Corners Development Corporation, which developed the Langham Court project in Boston's South End community and he served as a Project Manager for Boston's Department of Neighborhood Development. He also worked with the Council on Foundations as member relations director, managing philanthropic relationships in the Southeast and has served as program officer with the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, examining and reporting on impact of gentrification, regionalism and sprawl on vulnerable families. In Baltimore, he served as president of the Chatham Neighborhood Association, trustee of the Enoch Pratt Free Library Trustee and board member for the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board Youth Council. Steedley also led Motus Consulting USA, LLC, a management consultancy that provided management, operations and training services to groups engaged in transformation, including nonprofit organizations, corporations and government entities.
Steedley is a former Research Fellow in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former International Fellow of the Emerging Leaders Program in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina, a Master of Science in Human Services from the University of Massachusetts-Boston, and a Master of Arts in Sociology from Boston College.
- Compiled by Dave Flessner