12/9/2021
For 22 years, Susan Anderson led Community Home Partners (CHP). As she retires, we are thrilled to welcome our new CEO John Chow. John comes to us from the Housing Authority of Joliet where he served as the Chief of Staff and Chief of Development and Operations for the past 8 years. John’s career started with the Housing Authority of Joliet out of college, but he later found himself back in his hometown of Chicago for nearly 14 years where he climbed the career ladder and gained a wealth of knowledge while managing over 200 buildings at the University of Chicago, working his way up to the director of project management. As his passion began to outweigh his drive to further his career, John found his way back to Joliet where he applied his skills and knowledge to continue the work of affordable housing and helping those in need.
John is motivated to bring that passion to CHP, the Rock Island community, and the Quad City Region. He says, “I want to build on the pillars already here by reimagining what affordable housing looks like, re-writing the perception of public housing, and establishing a longstanding relationship between CHP and the entire community
“Affordable housing was started as an avenue for those in need, but it was not meant to become a generational housing situation," John says. "The goal now is to build homes for those in need while building up our tenants’ lives. Through our self-sufficiency program THRIVE, community members can advance their education, gain financial literacy, and ultimately work and save toward buying homes of their own. CHP’s work has paved a path to rewriting a long-standing perception of public housing. We’re not just building homes; we’re building communities that will have an impact on the city. Our job as servant leaders is to properly portray the impact this kind of program can have on our communities at the city, state, and hopefully at the national level.”
The future of affordable housing will be seen as a community enhancement, built to provide the stepping stones for members to frame a better life. John notes previous CEO Susan Anderson has done a tremendous job setting the foundation for where these programs can go. John says he aims to have a stronger connection not only with the city but community leaders and all stakeholders within the region.
“I am excited to be starting this adventure in Rock Island along with my family.” As he puts it, he is in the last leg of his career and often thinks about how his work will be reflected in his legacy. That motivates John to strengthen Rock Island and CHP residents.
Read More:
Susan Anderson reflects on 22 years at CHP