Our 50th Anniversary Celebration brought together a diverse crowd united around a common goal of building an equitable financial system.
Woodstock Institute’s 50th Anniversary Celebration was a success! We’re thrilled to have brought together a diverse crowd of professionals united around a common goal of building an equitable financial system. Attendees included representatives of community and non-profit organizations, government officials, and financial sector leaders.
Woodstock Institute was founded in 1973 by Chicago philanthropists Sylvia and Aaron Scheinfeld, who envisioned a conference center where participants could plot solutions to social justice issues, especially racism in housing, known as “redlining.” In the 50 years since, Woodstock has been on the frontlines advancing economic justice and racial equity.
We were honored to be joined by key players of this 50-year history, including several of Woodstock’s past presidents and housing justice advocates.
Our keynote speaker was Michael J. Hsu, Acting Comptroller of the Currency, one of the country’s top financial regulators. The Comptroller spoke about the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s efforts to promote greater trust between communities and the financial institutions serving them.
Presenters included Nikki Holsopple, Managing Director of CRA at JPMorgan Chase, Event Co-Chairs Audra Wilson (President & CEO of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law) and Jacqueline Collins (Illinois Human Rights Commissioner and former Illinois State Senator), and Woodstock President & CEO Horacio F. Mendez.
Among our honored guests was Illinois State Representative and Chair of the Illinois Legislative House Black Caucus (ILBC) Lakesia Collins, who accepted our 2023 Economic Justice Award on behalf of the ILBC for the caucus’s work promoting the Predatory Loan Prevention Act through their economic justice legislative agenda.
Another highlight of the evening was a special video created to celebrate Woodstock’s past, present, and future. “The Stories We Tell” was produced and created by Fig Media. Watch the full video here.
We extend our gratitude to everyone involved in making this such a memorable evening, including our presenters, sponsors, partners, attendees, the University Club of Chicago, and our dedicated board and staff.
Finally, we were honored to receive a special message from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau highlighting our shared missions & goals:
