By Ellen Shubart, Class of 2006
She’s not all that new to the Chicago Architecture Center staff; she joined CAC in September 2021 as the Chief Operating Officer. But in her new role as the organization’s interim leader, Juanna Blackwell has more contact and impact on docent and volunteer life. So, perhaps a bit belatedly, here’s an introduction to today’s “person in charge.”
Juanna Blackwell laughs a lot. A lot a lot. She is full of smiles, grins and friendly laughs as she shares a lunch, talking about her role at the Chicago Architecture Center today. But she is deeply serious about her task ahead, her role, and how she can help CAC move forward – in the social sphere as well as financially.
Blackwell is a Chicago-area native, not technically from the city, but close. She grew up in Northwest Indiana attending the Gary, Indiana public schools. From the second grade onward, she knew she wanted to work as an engineer or scientist – her wish list for Santa that year included a science kit with a microscope.
She continued with her dreams through college, attending North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, Greensboro, North Carolina, the Historical Black College and University (HBCU) that graduates more Black engineers than any other school in the country. She coupled her undergrad engineering degree with an MBA in Finance from Howard University, another top university that is also an HBCU. And, in answer to question, no, she is not a member of the same sorority as Vice President Kamala Harris; Blackwell is a member of a different sorority.
Following her education, Blackwell tried living in Fort Wayne, Indiana for a job, but found the environment there “racially uncomfortable.” Instead, she moved to Washington, D.C. and worked as a consultant to the capital city’s public works department. She jokes that she was in the sewers, under the city for four years. Moving to Manhattan for a job at IBM in global financial sales and distribution, she called the upper East Side home for the next three years.
But the Chicago area and family drew her back, or at least nearby. She lived first in Bronzeville, but then moved to Olympia Fields and now lives in the Prairie District on the city’s near south side.
She worked at Ticketmaster for nine years, completing the 20 years of experience she had prior to joining CAC.
Blackwell speaks fondly about the role her mother had in her own education. Her mom is a teacher, and Blackwell wants to focus on children at the Center. As the “only little girl in STEM classes, or physics labs,” she sees the need for more girls and women becoming involved in the STEM professions. She wants CAC to be “that organization which people from Chicago look to,” as well as a location where children are in the center of the Center, so to speak. “I want to make an impact on kids’ lives,” she says. “We need to show them what’s available.”
At the same time, because architecture is “so broad,” it’s important to make everyone—adults and children alike — understand how the built environment impacts everyone – and how construction workers, engineers, or architects affect people. Using only one example, she notes how the history of public housing is “mind boggling. People in that situation had no idea how their living situation affected their lives.”
But – and she pounds the table as she emphasizes how important data is – she also wants to substantially raise revenue for CAC within the next four years.
Blackwell is eager to work with docents and volunteers to make these goals come to fruition. Currently, she’s working to make the process of data sharing between CAC’s ticketing program and Ticketmaster smoother and easier to navigate. She’s eager to meet more docents and volunteers and work with them, including helping some folks from the neighborhoods to work with neighborhood tour docents to exchange information.
It’s all in the plan, moving ahead with more and better programming, increasing revenue for the Center, and making the machine move smoothly. And, don’t forget to laugh a lot while you do it, too. That’s Blackwell’s method of action.
__________________________________________________________________________________
CLICK HERE for more stories on The Bridge.