07/17/2024

Katanya Raby

At Large Officer

I am an urban planner, a policy advisor, an urban designer, and a community advocate specializing in
racial equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice. I currently serve the Far South Community
Development Corporation as their Director of Planning focused on Chicago’s planning initiatives for
its furthest south region including Roseland, West Pullman, and Morgan Park. Previously, I served
Mayor Lightfoot's administration as a Policy Advisor focusing primarily on place-based policy
initiatives and led the work towards the development of the nation’s first Racial Equity Impact
Assessment for the Department of Housing’s Qualified Allocation Plan for low-income housing tax
credits (LIHTC). Prior to that, I worked for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
working on regional comprehensive planning (ON TO 2050) and local planning (McHenry County,
south Cook County, Will County, and various Chicago community areas). I also directed CMAP's
Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) youth leadership development program for high school students
across northeastern Illinois. 

I am a co-founder and former president of Society of Black Urban Planners at the University of Illinois
at Chicago (UIC), a student group that was formed to encourage increased diversity in the Urban
Planning undergraduate and graduate programs at UIC and encourage diversity across the profession
overall. While serving as vice-chair of the Diversity Committee for the Illinois Chapter, I created and
led the development of the annual student-led diversity series. I previously served on the board for
the non-profit Public Narrative which focuses on helping communities and the media to tell accurate
and positive stories for communities of color. I previously served on the board of Territory Chicago, a
non profit focused on engaging youth in architecture and planning. I am an alum of Chicago United
for Equity, a fellowship program focused on racial equity. I am also an alum of AmeriCorps VISTA and
City Year where I served homeless and youth respectively. I am committed to planning for equity,
providing service to underserved communities, and encouraging youth to consider their roles in the
future of their own communities. I am a proud graduate of Chicago Public Schools and hold a
Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Masters Degrees in Urban Planning and Policy and City Design
from the University of Illinois at Chicago.