Amadi McPherson

Amadi is inspired by his experiences growing up in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood then relocating to the south suburbs. He began his journey as a mentor working with high-risk youth, which later laid the groundwork for assisting returning offenders in successfully reintegrating into society. After serving in the United States Navy, Amadi received his bachelor’s in criminal justice/ psychology from Governors State University and his Master in Public Policy from DePaul University. Currently, he is a first-year law student at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Amadi is extremely mission-driven and passionate about service. His passion led him to the fight for economic justice through the intersection of research, real estate, and public policy.

While in these roles, he developed research reports, co-authored policy reports, helped shape legislative agendas, and developed operating systems for various NGOs. He has extensive experience working with elected officials, C-level staff, and principal researchers to inform and design programs.

In 2022, Chicago’s Department of Housing awarded Amadi the 2022 Community Service Award. In 2020, he was a scholar for Chaddick Metropolitan Development. In 2021, he was selected as a TEDX Speaker, and in 2016, he received letters of commendation from the Obama Administration. Amadi is also a former Board of Director for the first black real estate trade association in the United States, the Dearborn Realtist Board.

When Amadi isn’t serving the community, he enjoys spending time with his family, exercising, playing chess, swimming, and traveling.