At our 2011 Annual Awards Luncheon PILI presented a Distinguished Alumni Award to Kathleen K. Clark, Executive Director of Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, who served as a PILI Intern in the spring and fall of 1997 at the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU and at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Kathy was a non-traditional law student, having decided to go to law school after 20 years working in family and community services. She graduated cum laude from the John Marshall Law School, and practiced fair housing and civil rights law, joining LCBH in 2000. LCBH believes that all persons have a right to safe, decent, and affordable housing on a non-discriminatory basis, and they work to promote the availability of and access to such housing in Chicago through legal representation, individual and public advocacy, supportive social services and education. The day of the 2011 PILI Annual Awards Luncheon marked Kathy’s 11 year anniversary as their executive director, and several members of LCBH’s staff and board of directors were in attendance to congratulate Kathy and celebrate with her.
Kathy’s career has been marked by a strong commitment to making safe, affordable housing a reality for low-income individuals, children and families. At LCBH, she has expanding and strengthened their core programs while instigating creative new programs in response to changing community need in the face of the recent housing crisis. She is recognized as a spokesperson on behalf of low-income tenants, and her strong leadership has kept LCBH at the forefront of tenant advocacy issues in Chicago. In addition to her legal work with LCBH, Kathy is involved in many other community organizations and causes. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Chicago Fair Housing Alliance, and she served for ten years on the board of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Kathy is also involved with the Foreclosure Prevention and Mitigation Working Group for the Illinois Housing Task Force, and with the Unity Temple in Oak Park and the Rich Township High School Board of Education. PILI was pleased to honor Kathy for tireless and successful efforts on behalf of low-income tenants. Her career exemplifies an inspiring and impactful commitment to public interest law.
Originally published Jan 2012. Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »