Bridget Gainer (left), Global Head of Public Affairs & Policy at Aon and a United Way of Metro Chicago board member, with ChiNEXT 2025-2026 cohort members in May 2026.
Jamie Adams (left) at the ChiNEXT 2025-2026 graduation event in May 2026.
By Caitlin Closser Peart, Senior Director of Public Programs, United Way of Metro Chicago
At United Way of Metro Chicago, we know we stand on a profound legacy. We have partnerships that span decades, nearly 100 years of experience serving the Chicago region, and our city’s deep heritage of civic engagement.
“For generations, the leaders of our business community built a strong civic and philanthropic foundation in Chicago,” said Bridget Gainer, Global Head of Public Affairs & Policy at Aon, and a United Way of Metro Chicago board member. They did so, Gainer said, “because they acted upon a commitment to our city – and each other.”
For a long time, it’s been a given in Chicago that business leaders are also civic leaders, giving back to the city where they made their careers. But what happens when that “given” is no longer guaranteed?
Changes in workplace cultures, the rise of virtual work, and declining trust in institutions by younger generations have meant that this beautiful legacy faces uncertainty.
But for United Way, our work is fueled by strong business partners and civic leaders who stand beside us to help individuals and families meet their immediate basic needs and create neighborhoods of opportunity.
We are committed to leveraging that support as we build the next generation of civic leaders.
Last year, with the encouragement of our board, United Way launched ChiNEXT, a cohort-based learning and development program to inspire early career professionals towards a career and life of civic engagement. We recruited a cohort of over 40 young professionals, mostly in the first five years of their careers, from different backgrounds and industries, and brought them together for a collective learning experience.
“Today, we’re so social media-focused and desensitized to human interaction,” said participant Jamie Adams of Loop Capital. “It’s beautiful when we’re able to come together as a group for real conversations and real-life experiences of civic duties. I walked away really proud to be a member of the cohort.”
Through monthly sessions and homework assignments, our cohort visited some of United Way’s Neighborhood Networks around the city and learned about Chicago’s challenges and opportunities directly from the expert leaders working to address them. Session topics and locations ranged from health disparities at Auburn Gresham’s Healthy Lifestyles Hub, to criminal justice at the Cook County Department of Corrections, to workforce development at Austin’s Aspire Center.
United Way believes that this investment in the young professionals of today is critical for making change tomorrow. ChiNEXT seeks to cultivate empathy and action through experiential learning and exposure to realize the future we know is possible for Chicago.
“ChiNEXT helped me think more intentionally about how I can contribute my time to strengthen our city,” said participant Francesca Robinson of PSP Partners. “It’s a unique opportunity to connect with inspiring leaders and gain exposure that is hard to find early in your career.”
Participant Broderic Mast of EY saw the value not just for himself, but for the neighborhoods the cohort visited and supported. “The more that we are in our communities showing up for people on a day-to-day basis, the more we can lift everyone up around us and make Chicago a better place for everyone to live.”
United Way is excited to bring this program back for a second year, as we continue the important work of building a stronger Chicago region where everyone can thrive. The future success of Chicago and everyone who calls Chicago home requires the involvement and investment of committed business, civic, nonprofit, and community leaders.
At United Way, mobilizing caring people and resources is part of our legacy, part of who we are today, and part of what positions us to help grow the civic leaders of tomorrow.
“ChiNEXT brings young people together with some of the most effective and impactful Chicagoans to grow our next generation,” said Gainer, who was instrumental in helping create the program. “It’s yet one more way United Way is supporting communities – now and in the future – through its strong civic and corporate relationships.”
Banner photo: Broderic Mast and Francesca Robinson at the 2025-2026 ChiNEXT cohort graduation event in May 2026.
Want to be part of the 2026-2027 cohort?
Apply by August 14.