Institute of Politics

Organization Overview:

The Commercial Club of Chicago and the Civic Committee is comprised of senior executives of the Chicago region’s leading employers. Its mission is to make our region a better place for everyone to live, work, and do business. The Civic Committee establishes task forces and committees to undertake studies, develop recommendations, and works to address key policy issues confronting the Chicago region. In addition, the Civic Committee holds meetings and events throughout the year to discuss its programs and to hear from speakers on key policy issues.

Internship Summary:

The Civic Committee is seeking one intern to support its task forces and operational areas aimed at advancing its main priority issue areas. The available internship position is Strategic Planning Intern. For more information on the internship areas, please visit our website: https://civiccommittee.org/.

Responsibilities:

• Support the strategic planning staff team in preparation for the presentation of the official strategic plan at the January Board of Directors quarterly convening.
• Support the strategic planning staff team on identifying opportunities for Civic Committee staff engagement.
• Conduct research for the strategic planning effort including implementation planning and staff engagement.
• Collaborate with our consultants that are helping to organize the public report rollout process and implementation planning.
• Develop meeting materials for meetings with our members on strategic planning topics.
• Collaborate with your supervisor to help clarify priorities and determine appropriate assignments for graduate vs undergraduate level.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Current undergraduate or graduate student
• Proactive, inquisitive and shows initiative in performing administrative and research duties
• Possesses professional email communication skills and etiquette
• Adaptable to a fast-paced environment and ability to balance multiple projects at a time
• Honesty and integrity in reporting on daily tasks
• Possesses writing skills geared towards one-pagers, summaries, and a variety of other policy memos
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook

About the Supervisor:

Erika Poethig is the Executive Vice President for Strategy and Planning at the Civic Committee and Commercial Club of Chicago. In consultation with Civic Committee and Commercial Club members and senior executive leadership, she leads the development and execution of a comprehensive strategic framework and action plan for the Civic Committee and Commercial Club reflecting their distinctive roles in strengthening Chicago’s and Illinois’ economic future. From 2021 – 2023, Poethig was the Special Assistant to the President for Housing and Urban Policy in the White House Domestic Policy Council. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris administration she served as vice president and chief innovation officer at the Urban Institute, where she created and led the Research to Action Lab. Before joining Urban, Poethig was acting assistant secretary for policy, development, and research at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Poethig was a Phi Beta Kappa member at the College of Wooster, a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Vienna, and has an MA with honors in public policy from the University of Chicago. In 2022, she received a Career Achievement Award from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

Eligibility:

• International and domestic students
• Undergraduate and graduate students

Location, Modality, and Commute:

Our team works in office Monday-Thursday in the Loop at 190 S. LaSalle Street. Commercial Club and Civic Committee of Chicago prefers interns to work two full days (8 hours/day) a week for 10 weeks.

Start and End Date

The Academic Year internships will take place according to the IOP’s timeline, with specific dates and weekly hours to be determined by the employer partner and intern during the interview process:

• Onboarding: November – December 2026
• Intern Work Period: January – May 2027