Related Midwest's Ann Thompson to chair Board of Chicago Architecture Center

CHICAGO —Related Midwest today announced that Executive Vice President Ann Thompson has been named board chair of the Chicago Architecture Center, a nonprofit cultural organization promoting Chicago as a center of architecture and design innovation. During her previous six years as a CAC trustee, Ann has led both the Exhibition and Leading Forum Committees.

In her role at Related Midwest, Ann Thompson leads the firm’s integrated design and planning vision for projects across the company’s portfolio of mixed-use, mixed-income, affordable and luxury developments, as well as all engineering, zoning and entitlement efforts. Ms. Thompson has spent 24 years with the company, overseeing the design of more than 2,700 residences, with another 1,500 in the pipeline. She has led a number of transformative projects including One Bennett Park, The 78, and Lathrop Homes, and has lent her expertise to a number of academic and professional juries.

Thompson also serves on the UIUC School of Architecture Alumni Advisory Board and the board of the Lycée Français de Chicago, where she leads the Facility Committee, and was named to the City of Chicago Committee on Design.

“I’m elated to lead the Chicago Architecture Center board and continue nurturing an appreciation for architecture and design among Chicagoans and visitors alike,” Thompson said. “Chicago’s distinctive architecture shapes our lives, and the CAC has taken remarkable steps towards making that architectural legacy come alive for all Chicagoans.”

Founded in 1966, the Chicago Architecture Center is a national leader in architecture and design education, serving more than 500,000 guests and audience members every year through exhibits, tours and field trips. After celebrating the return of its citywide Open House Chicago event in 2021, it recently opened its largest exhibit in its history on climate change called Energy Revolution.