Gillian Darlow

Gillian Darlow is the CEO of the Polk Bros. Foundation, which focuses its grantmaking on reducing the impact of poverty and expanding access to quality education, the arts, preventive health care, and essential human services for Chicago-area residents. In her former role at the Civic Consulting Alliance, she led numerous economic growth initiatives for the city, managed Governor Quinn’s Taxpayer Action Board and Mayor Daley’s 21st Century Commission, and led the creation of a green business strategy for the Chicago Department of Environment. Previously, she worked for the Redmoon Theater, the Field Museum, and the International Development Exchange, in addition to serving as an independent consultant to many nonprofits and foundations, including the MacArthur Foundation. She earned a BA in psychology from Harvard University and did her graduate work at Stanford University, earning an MA from the School of Education and an MBA from the Graduate School of Business.