Roberto Requejo is an experienced systems change leader specialized in equitable neighborhood development, cross-sector initiatives, and community-led capital investments. He is currently serving as strategic advisor to the Elevated Chicago coalition, which he led since 2017, overseeing $10M+ in resources to advance equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD). As executive director of Elevated, Roberto co-led with the Mayor’s Office the creation of Chicago’s first ETOD policy plan, paired with a pilot program to fund affordable homes, small businesses, community centers, arts and culture facilities, and health clinics, all connected to transit hubs. He also led advocacy to develop the most comprehensive ETOD zoning ordinance in the U.S., passed by City Council in July 2022, and worked with City departments to allocate more than $800M in City and federal dollars to ETOD projects, growing Chicago’s ETOD pipeline from three sites in 2017 to more than fifty in 2024.
Prior to joining Elevated, Roberto served as an officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, developing its first DEI strategic plan, and leading the Financial Services Pipeline Initiative, a collaborative of financial institutions tasked with increasing diversity and inclusion in the banking sector. Roberto was also a program officer at The Chicago Community Trust, leading and monitoring a $10M program to address the region’s foreclosures crisis. He has worked at the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) and at Citi Community Capital.
In 2024, Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed Roberto one of the seven members of the Chicago Transit Board, which oversees operations of a $6B budget transit agency serving 3.2 million people. He was included in Chicago Magazine’s “New Power 30” a list of Chicagoans challenging the status quo and sparking systemic change, and has served as co-chair of the transportation subcommittee for two mayoral transitions, Lori Lightfoot’s in 2019 and Brandon Johnson’s in 2023. He is currently a Center for Community Investment Field Catalyst Fellow.
