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Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development
DePaul University
243 S. Wabash Avenue, Suite 9000
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312.362.5731
Fax: 312.362.5506
chaddick@depaul.edu

Staff directory

Joseph P. Schwieterman, Ph.D.
Director
jschwiet@depaul.edu

Joseph P. Schwieterman, Ph.D., a professor of Public Service Management, is a noted authority on transportation and a long-standing contributor to the Transportation Research Board (TRB), a unit of the National Academy of Sciences. His work appears in such scholarly journals as Regulation, Journal of Asian Business, Transport Reviews, and the Journal of the Transportation Research Board. He has twice testified, most recently in early 2007, on transportation issues before subcommittees of the U.S. Congress.

As the Director of DePaul’s Chaddick Institute, which promotes effective urban planning, Professor Schwieterman is also actively involved in research about planning and development in metropolitan Chicago. He is an officer of the Chicago chapter of the Transportation Research Forum and has served as Vice President of the Metropolitan Conference on Public Transit Research. He also has eight years of professional experience working for a Chicago-based airline.

Professor Schwieterman’s most recent work includes a book about the abandonment of American Railroads, entitled "When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment" (Truman State University Press, 2004), which was a finalist for the prestigious George Hilton Book Award. His latest book, "The Politics of Place: The History of Zoning in Chicago" (Lake Claremont Press, 2006), co-written with Dana Caspall, has also received scholarly recognition. Schwieterman frequently appears as an expert on First Business (syndicated television) and is a regular guest who discusses transportation topics on WBBM Radio 780’s Noon Business Hour and WBEZ (National Public Radio).

Through Schwieterman’s leadership, the Chaddick Institute has become a respected authority on land-use and transportation issues in the Chicago metropolitan area. In 2001, the institute received a public education award from the Illinois Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Gloria Simo, Ph.D.
Assistant Director
gsimo@depaul.edu

Gloria Simo is an Assistant Professor in the Public Services Graduate Program at DePaul University and the Assistant Director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul. Dr. Simo received her Ph.D. and MAPA (Master of Arts in Public Administration) from Northern Illinois University in 1997 and 1991 respectively, and her B.A. in Urban Studies and Psychology from Elmhurst College in 1988. She has been teaching since 1992, in both undergraduate and graduate programs in urban studies, political science, public administration and public services at Elmhurst College, Northern Illinois University, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and at DePaul.

Prior to her teaching experience Dr. Simo served in various administrative positions in a number of local governments in Illinois and as a Presidential Management Intern (PMI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. She continues to do consulting and administrative training for local governments and non-profit organizations in the Chicago metropolitan area, especially in the areas of performance measurement and management. Her research focuses on needs assessment and evaluation studies in urban policy and programs, as well as in the area of Public Service Motivation (PSM) and the Presidential Management Fellows program.

David Ehrlich, Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor
dehrlich@depaul.edu

David Ehrlich holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Wayne State University and a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University. His areas of reserach and interest are: public policy analysis, urban affairs, program evaluation, American politics, government and nonprofit service delivery, and international non-governmental organizations.

In his research and conference presentations, Dr. Ehrlich focuses on contracting, outsourcing, and the effectiveness and efficiency of public services provided by government, nonprofit, and private organizations. While a senior analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Dr. Ehrlich published policy and organization evaluations on issues including education, welfare, energy, weapons systems, worker safety, aviation safety, innovative project finance, and bus and rail transit. Before joining DePaul, David G. Ehrlich served on the faculty of the Graduate Program in Public Administration at the Illinois Institute of Technology. In his public service career with the GAO, he briefed senators, members of Congress, committees, and nongovernmental groups on legislation and policy design issues. Before that, Dr. Ehrlich was a senior legislative assistant to Congressman Claude Pepper (FL) and a legislative assistant to Congressman Charles Rangel (NY). He is a member of Pi Alpha Alpha, the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration, and a number of professional associations.

Laurie B. Marston
AICP, Land-Use and Planning Specialist
laurie.marston@comcast.net

Laurie is an experienced planner who serves as our Technical Advisor. She takes an active role in planning our workshop series, research projects, and community-outreach efforts. Laurie is an active member of the American Planning Association and Lambda Alpha International.

John Hedrick
Design Review Program Advisor
jhedric1@depaul.edu

John is the founder and current President of Scenic Illinois, which supports public land use, planning, and design. A licensed attorney for over 30 years, specializing in advertising, corporate and regulatory matters. He has also been a Village Commissioner for building and landscape design review and involved in municipal planning matters for as many years. John is currently Chair of the Glenview Appearance Commission and has recently served on special facade improvement and comprehensive planning Committees for the Village. In his latest legal work John specialized in Board planning and organizational issues.

Susan Aaron
Civic Program Design
susansaaron@comcast.net

Susan is our point person on a variety of civic outreach projects and is currently working with a committee focused upon celebrating the upcoming centennial of Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago.

Lauren Fischer
Research Associate
lfische6@depaul.edu

Lauren is heavily involved with a variety of ongoing projects at the institute, including high school programming, transportation and sales tax research and various outreach initiatives. She has recently gained media attention for her work with neighborhood diversity and intercity bus travel. Lauren holds a M.S. in Public Services from DePaul University and a B.S. in Political Science and Sociology from Indiana University. She teaches as an adjunt faculty in the School of Public Service and the Department of Public Policy Studies at DePaul.

Sara Smith
Research Assistant
ssmith96@depaul.edu

Sara holds a B.S. in Political Science from Northern Illinois University and recently recieved her M.S. from DePaul's School of Public Service. She works to support institute research and programming, including Municipal Design Review Network.

Andrew Pizzano
Graduate Assistant 
apizzano@depaul.edu

Andrew earned his B.S. from The Ohio State University in the Spring of 2008 and is currently enrolled in DePaul's MPA program where he is specializing in Metropolitan Planning and Urban Affairs.  Andrew works for Chaddick in a wide scope of capacities ranging from land-use analysis, the high school program, and monthly workshop support. 

Steven Field
Graduate Assistant
sfield3@depaul.edu

Steven earned his B.S. in Marketing from University of Denver and worked at the American Red Cross for several years before moving to Chicago. He is currently enrolled in DePaul's MPS program where he is specializing in Metropolitan Planning and Urban Affairs.  Steven supports the work of the institute in many ways and is heavily involved with developing and implementing Chaddick programs.