Beth Dever (Senior Project Manager) has been with BRicK since its founding in 2012. She has assisted the Brookings Institution with its Confronting Suburban Poverty work, writing policy briefs and bringing national experiences and research together with local best practices and innovations in select U.S. metropolitan areas. In the Chicago region, Beth has helped to implement planning processes in Aurora, Cook County, and with the North West Suburban Housing Collaborative. As an outgrowth of the North West Suburban Housing Collaborative work, Beth has also managed the team of partners implementing the CAPABLE program, an innovative health-housing initiative.
Prior to BRicK, Beth served as a consultant to the Ford Foundation’s Metropolitan Opportunity Unit, where she assisted the team with grantmaking and analysis of investment opportunities, stakeholder engagement, and research and writing projects. Additionally, Beth is proud to have been the founding Housing Director of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, working with the Chicago region’s 273+ communities as the point person on housing and community development, economic development, and diversity issues. Beth helped the mayors to create long-term strategic plans, directed a multi-year Regional Housing Needs Assessment project to help communities understand their housing supply and demand, participated in the creation of inter-jurisdictional housing organizations, and produced numerous tools and resources for municipalities.
Beth has an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a Master of Public Policy from the Irving B. Harris School at the University of Chicago.