Apps 4 Metro Chicago IL Round 2 Channeling the Community Spirit

Smart Cities Collaborative Executive Director Dan O’Neil will represent A4MC’s Esteemed Round 2 Judging Panel and Announce A4MC Community Round Finalists live at Public Voting Kickoff & Apps Showcase October 7th at Columbia College

CHICAGO - The A4MC Community Round Finalists will be announced at a Public Voting Kick-Off & A4MC App Showcase Friday October 7th at 3:00 pm at Columbia College 916 S. Wabash (Lobby on First Floor). Virginia Carlson, President of the Metro Chicago Information Center, will welcome everyone and briefly describe MCIC’s outreach efforts during the Community Round. Dan O’Neil, the Executive Director of the Smart Communities Collaborative and one of A4MC’s esteemed Community Round Judges, will then announce the 10 Community Finalists and officially open public voting! Transportation Winners and Community Round Competitors will showcase their apps in Columbia College’s lobby before and after the announcement. Attendees will be able to try all of the apps and vote for their favorite finalist immediately following the announcement!

The Apps 4 Metro Chicago Illinois Competition was launched June 24, 2011 in order to inspire the development of applications using the 250+ data sets provided by the City of Chicago, Cook County, State of Illinois, and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to improve the lives of Metro Chicagoans. Unlike previous civic apps competitions the A4MC Competition is facilitated by the Metro Chicago Information Center (MCIC), an information intermediary. In this competition, MCIC’s role is to foster relationships between civic organizations, Chicago residents and apps developers resulting in apps that have immediate and long-term relevancy and truly reflect the diverse needs of Metro Chicago. A4MC Round 1 focused on transportation, garnered great excitement and generated 12 winning apps tackling a wide variety of Chicago Transportation topics from parking to potholes to bike paths.

During the Community Round the A4MC Team has worked to expand the awareness and involvement in the Competition so that it truly represents the diverse interests and communities of Metro Chicago. The Community Round Judging Panel reflects this diversity, being comprised of experts representing local business, arts & culture, community and economic development, technology, and the venture capital community. They join our stellar core judges, returning from the Transportation Round, and will bring their special expertise to the applications submitted for the Community Round. More information on our Community Round Judging Panel is attached.

Apps 4 Metro Chicago Illinois, with Metro Chicago Information Center (MCIC) at the helm, is an open data collaboration between the City of Chicago, Cook County, State of Illinois, and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Illinois Science and Technology Coalition, and Motorola Mobility Foundation.
 
Lon H. H. Chow - Lon Chow is a general partner at Apex Venture Partners with investment focus in software applications and technology-enabled services.

Dave Kolata - Dave Kolata is the executive director of the Citizen’s Utility Board (CUB), a non-profit, nonpartisan organization with a clear mission: to represent the interests of residential utility customers across the state.

Paul Lee - Paul Lee joined Lightbank, an investment vehicle, as a partner in February 2011. Paul is a former Managing Director and Group Head of digital ventures for Playboy Enterprises, as well as a former SVP for NBC’s Peacock Equity Fund.

Matt Moog - Matt Moog is the founder and CEO of Viewpoints Network, a social technology and media company that helps leading retailers and brands create online communities which positively impacts incremental sales, consumer insights, and increases brand advocacy.

Dan O’Neil – Dan O’Neil is the Executive Director of the Smart Chicago Collaborative at the Chicago Community Trust. The Collaborative drives innovation in Chicago by investing in infrastructure, programs and applications that make the resources of high-speed Internet more accessible, useful and beneficial to low-income people and neighborhoods.

Dory Rand- Dory Rand is President of Woodstock Institute, a leading nonprofit research and policy organization focused on fair lending, wealth creation, and financial systems reform.

Geoff Smith - Geoff Smith is the Executive Director of the Institute for Housing Studies (IHS) at DePaul University. He directs the Institute’s research and data collection efforts that focus primarily on supporting practitioners such as city planners, financial institutions, developers, and community-based organizations working to preserve and increase access to affordable rental housing in Cook County.
Scarlett Swerdlow- Scarlett Swerdlow serves as Advocacy and Communications Director of Arts Alliance Illinois, the state's leading voice for the arts and arts education. She is also one of 20 elected members of the Americans for the Arts Emerging Leaders Council and sits on the board of directors of the Progressive Alliance PAC.
Chuck Templeton - Chuck Templeton is the founder of Open Table, an online restaurant reservation service that began in 1998.

Johanna Thompson – Johanna Thompson is a Digital Learning Specialist at The Field Museum, coordinating design challenges for high school youth that connect the Museum's research and collections with their own project goals.

Susana Vasquez - Susana Vasquez joined LISC in 2003 as a program officer and soon became director of the office's most ambitious effort—the New Communities Program, a 10-year project to comprehensively redevelop 16 Chicago neighborhoods. She was named LISC/Chicago's executive director in 2011.