Meet the Team
Joel Hamernick
Executive Director
Joel Hamernick is a nonprofit strategist and civic leader with more than two decades of experience building organizations and partnerships at the intersection of community-based leadership, civic institutions, and philanthropy. His work focuses on aligning capital, governance, and strategy over long time horizons to strengthen institutional effectiveness and public trust.
Across his career, Joel has led and advised a wide range of nonprofit and civic initiatives, working closely with foundations, family offices, public-sector partners, and grassroots leaders. Rather than transactional fundraising, his approach emphasizes durable partnership design—creating structures that reduce risk, build confidence, and support sustained investment and collaboration over time.
Joel is known for blending high-level strategy with practical implementation, helping organizations clarify purpose, strengthen governance, and develop credible pathways for growth and impact. His work consistently centers on long-term systems change, thoughtful stewardship of resources, and the creation of civic capacity that endures beyond any single project or moment.
A long-time resident of Chicago, Joel brings a deep commitment to the city’s future and to ensuring that institutions are equipped to govern, collaborate, and serve effectively for generations to come.
Justin Miller
Director of Operations
Justin Miller serves as Director of Operations at A More Just Chicago, where he is responsible for the execution of complex, cross-sector initiatives that turn civic vision into durable action. With a background spanning strategy, operations, and partnership development, Justin brings the ability to move ideas from concept to implementation while building the relationships required to sustain long-term impact.
In addition to his organizational leadership, Justin has founded and operated multiple small businesses, sharpening his entrepreneurial approach to problem-solving, execution, and resourcefulness. Based in Chicago with his wife and three young kids, his work is grounded in a strong personal commitment to the city’s future.
Board Members
Rodney Brown
Governing Board
Rodney Brown brings extensive professional experience in community development through his leadership at New Covenant Community Development Corporation in North Lawndale. His career has focused on strengthening neighborhood-based institutions, advancing equitable local investment, and aligning economic development with community stability. Rodney contributes a grounded, neighborhood-level perspective on how governance decisions translate into lived outcomes.
Jadine Chou
Governing Board
Jadine Chou is a senior public-sector leader with extensive experience in safety, security, and large-scale institutional operations, having served for 15 years as Chief of Safety and Security for Chicago Public Schools after holding a similar leadership role at the Chicago Housing Authority. She brought deeply immersive community engagement to her previous work, helping bring perspective to AMJC on how city government and sister agencies operate—and how families across Chicago are impacted, both positively and negatively, by the way public systems function.
Peggy Davis
Governing Board
Peggy Davis previously served as a Vice President at The Chicago Community Trust, where she led major initiatives in philanthropy, nonprofit leadership development, and community impact. Her career spans legal practice, philanthropic strategy, and institutional governance, with a consistent focus on racial equity, accountability, and long-term systems change.
Wendy DuBoe
Governing Board
Wendy is the former Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Metro Chicago and brings senior-level executive experience across both nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Her background includes organizational transformation, strategic planning, and large-scale implementation, with a strong emphasis on measurable impact and cross-sector collaboration.
Joe Ferguson
Governing Board
Joe Ferguson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Civic Federation, one of Chicago’s most respected independent organizations focused on government finance, accountability, and structural reform. He previously served as Chicago’s Inspector General, leading efforts to strengthen transparency, reduce corruption risk, and improve the integrity and performance of city government.
Adrienne Irmer
Governing Board
Adrienne serves as an Assistant Vice President at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where her work focuses on institutional strategy, operations, and external engagement. Her long-standing personal and professional commitment to Chicago’s South Side informs her perspective on higher education, civic partnership, and long-term regional growth.
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Rabbi Seth Limmer
Governing Board
Seth is a civic leader and public affairs professional currently serving as Director of Public Affairs at the Polarization & Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University, where he has worked for the past three years. His work includes citywide relational engagement through outreach across Chicago’s major faith communities, offering AMJC insight into trust-building, polarization, and cross-community civic dialogue.
Chris Noon
Governing Board
Chris is the owner of Quadrangle, a Chicago-based commercial real estate investment firm, and brings extensive experience in real estate development, capital markets, and long-term urban investment. He also serves on the board of the Better Government Association, contributing a market-informed and accountability-focused perspective on how governance structures affect economic confidence and citywide growth.
Jillian Youngblood
Governing Board
Jillian Youngblood is a senior leader at the National Civic League, where she leads the Civic Genius initiative focused on strengthening local democracy, civic infrastructure, and collaborative governance across communities nationwide. She brings national best practices and hands-on experience supporting cities navigating structural reform.