Julia Stasch

Julia Stasch is President of the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation, one of the nation’s largest philanthropies with assets of approximately $7 billion, and offices in Chicago, Mexico City, New Delhi, and Abuja, Nigeria. With a broad background of leadership in the business, governmental, and philanthropic sectors, she has served as the Foundation’s President since July 2014.

Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked for the City of Chicago, first as Commissioner of the Department of Housing and as Chief of Staff to then Mayor Richard M. Daley. From 1996 to 1997, Julia was President and Chief Executive Officer of Shorebank Chicago Companies, including South Shore Bank, the nation's first community development bank. 

During the first Clinton Administration, Julia served in Washington as Deputy Administrator of the General Services Administration, a 20,000-person agency responsible for management of government-wide building construction, leasing, and management. Earlier, she was a Vista volunteer and a teacher in the Chicago public school system.

Julia is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Economic Club, and The Chicago Network, and she previously served on the Board of the Chicago Architecture Foundation. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Loyola University, and holds a Master's degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.