Brandie Knazze

Brandie Knazze is the Chief Operating Officer at The Chicago Lighthouse since January 2025, with extensive experience in public service management. From July 2017 to December 2024, Brandie served as Commissioner for the City of Chicago's Department of Family and Support Services, managing a $780MM budget and overseeing a range of social services impacting over 400,000 residents. Prior roles include Acting Commissioner and First Deputy Commissioner within the same department, where Brandie facilitated daily operations for numerous program divisions. Brandie's earlier experience includes working as a Senior Consultant at Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, a Deputy Procurement Officer for Cook County Government, and the Assistant Director of Purchasing at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Brandie holds a degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Public Policy and Management and is a Civic Leadership Academy Fellow from the University of Chicago.