Meet Our New Board President

Gabriel Piemonte is a journalist and co-founder of Woodlawn Voices and Visions, a videography and critical thinking development program for CPS high school students on the South Side. He has co-developed community gardens in Woodlawn, a temporary arts center in Hyde Park, and a gardeners’ collective in South Shore. In 2017, he became co-founder of the Coalition to Save Jackson Park, which has worked to secure information about development in Jackson Park from a number of city agencies through the Freedom of Information Act and has sued the Park District for failure to comply with that request.

Gabriel was a member of the group that organized for and founded the South Side Community Federal Credit Union, a financial cooperative with a charter to serve low-income residents of the South Side along with the rest of the community. He co-founded and co-directed a successful effort to prevent the Chicago Archdiocese from tearing down an historic church in Woodlawn and subsequently co-founded an organization that raises funds for its restoration. He was the editor of the Hyde Park Herald for eight years. Gabriel has led community forums, workshops, and meetings across the South Side. His other previous volunteer work includes membership in the organizing committee of the Midwest Social Forum and co-founding of the Midwest Media Group, a peer-led effort in the early 2000s to apply for Non-Commercial, Educational radio station licenses. He is a board member of the Northern Illinois Historic League.

“It is a remarkable achievement for any organization to navigate the waters of social service for 35 years. That the House of Hope is also undergoing a transition from being run by the founders to a new executive director speaks to the strength of Sister Therese’s vision. I am committed to providing Sister and her remarkable successor, Yaisa, with every support they need to firmly establish this beloved institution on the firm footing it deserves.”

“We are going to pursue the vision of excellence which Yaisa and I share. We will provide the absolute best environment for the women we serve in order to facilitate their road to recovery. After all, they have done the hardest work by committing to themselves. We have a moral obligation to provide them optimal support to ensure that brave leap leads to transformation.”