Norma Sanders

Norma serves as the Director of Special Initiatives for the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation (GAGDC). She began her work at GAGDC as the Smart Communities Manager for the Southwest Smart Communities Partners. She directly managed the Auburn Gresham and Chicago Lawn, two of the five digitally underserved neighborhoods, part of the City’s broadband adoption initiative. Her work has expanded to overseeing the organization’s catalytic economic development initiatives, small business support and communications. She leads the Auburn Gresham Invest South/West neighborhood investment initiative and the United Way Neighborhood Network, where her team engages partners and institutions around local strategies and priorities, as outlined the Auburn Gresham community driven quality of life plan.

In her over thirteen years at GAGDC, Norma has worked on development, technology and community organizing, engaging and uplifting residents and business assets, advocating on issues related to the digital divide, access to healthy food, youth STEAM programming, and leading strategic efforts to help increase equitable access to training, jobs, reducing barriers to public and private investments and promoting patient capital.

Ultimately, her expertise and joy is to lead the neighborhoods’ strategic journey to connect businesses and families to equitable resources that builds a level of sustainable wealth all Chicago neighborhoods need and deserve. Directing the winning 2020 inaugural Chicago Prize Always Growing Auburn Gresham team was a welcomed recognition that helped validate the work of GAGDC, its partners and greater community who collectively are working to help catalyze neighborhood and regional level change.

A native of Chicago’s South Side, Norma graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Electrical Engineering, worked as a senior director for Motorola, Inc. and has extensive experience managing cross-community and global program initiatives.