CHA Board Chairman John T. Hooker Announces Resignation

(Chicago, July 17, 2019) - Chicago Housing Authority Board Chairman John T. Hooker has announced his resignation saying that it was time for him to step down now that his four-year term had expired.

“My term is up, and my time is up,” Hooker said in announcing his decision at the CHA Board of Commissioners meeting on July 16. “This was my decision alone,” he said. “I want to thank my fellow commissioners, the CHA staff and residents and everyone with whom I have worked for the opportunity to serve this great agency, the CHA residents and the people of Chicago.”

Hooker said that among his greatest accomplishments were the settlement of the landmark 52-year-old Gautreaux lawsuit that ended five decades of court oversight of CHA housing development, the delivery of more than 2,000 units of affordable housing across the city, investment in community assets like parks and recreation centers and grocery stores and the construction of innovative co-located housing and Chicago Public Library branches in three communities, along with expanded workforce and scholarship programs along with the Section 3 program that has provided new contracting opportunities for resident-owned businesses allowing them to build capacity and grow their businesses.

“I want to thank John Hooker for his years of service to CHA and the people of Chicago,” said Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. "I commend him and wish him well on this next chapter of his life.”

CHA CEO Eugene E. Jones, Jr. praised Hooker and his dedication and commitment to CHA. “We have been a team for the last four years and have built the best housing authority in the nation, making remarkable progress. I know that CHA, its residents and our communities are better for John Hooker having been a part of this agency,” Jones said.

CEO Jones noted that Hooker’s years of experience enabled him to fulfill the requirements of his role “with great skill and respect for all people in all walks of life and he did so with a degree of leadership that stands out in this city.”

He said Hooker’s work with the CHA board and their support for CHA investments across the city, from the new housing and libraries to expanded housing options across the city are all part of the legacy he leaves. “It is a legacy of which we should all be proud. On behalf of everyone at CHA, I want to thank him for his dedication, commitment and support and wish him well in the future,” Jones added.

Hooker’s resignation is effective July 19. He was appointed Chairman in 2015 for a term that ran from September 24, 2015 to July 7, 2019. Based on CHA board bylaws, Vice- Chairman Craig Chico, whose term as Vice-Chair was approved for another one-year term by the board today, will serve as Chairman until a new Chairman is appointed.