Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) Executive Appointed to Illinois Commerce Commission by Governor Blagojevich

Chicago, IL — January 4, 2005 — Governor Rod Blagojevich announced the appointment of CNT’s CEO Robert Lieberman to the Illinois Commerce Commission, effective February 1, 2005. Lieberman has served as CNT’s chief executive since 1998, when he joined the organization after a distinguished career in Illinois state government.

“Bob has been a great partner,” stated CNT founder and President Scott Bernstein. “His ability to use economic principles to support CNT’s agenda of promoting sustainable economic development and quality-of-life in urban communities and regions was right on the money, and his management ability helped us restructure, sharpen our focus and expand our influence. Bob’s ideas have come to be reflected in how CNT approaches everything it does and his contributions to the practice of local economic development will have an impact for years to come.”

“CNT has risen to a challenge that has been difficult for non-profits everywhere,” noted CNT Board Treasurer Ellen Seidman, managing director of Shorebank Advisory Services. “It has continued to invent new ways of approaching confounding urban problems ranging from public investment to environmental improvement to poverty alleviation and wealth creation, and then has created revenue-producing enterprises to put these initiatives on the path to sustainability and articulated and promoted policy initiatives to assure their wider success.”

“Bob has been very effective, working with Scott Bernstein, in leading our organization and our Board to address the complexities of simultaneously achieving a better environment, a better economy and a better quality-of- urban-life, and CNT has achieved a national reputation as a result of this work,” stated CNT Board Chair George Vinyard, an attorney with the Chicago firm of Sachnoff & Weaver, Ltd. “Bob will be sorely missed, but our Board is confident that CNT’s experienced management team and staff will continue to build upon CNT’s impressive body of accomplishments and the strong foundation that has been established. All of us on the Board wish Bob the best in this very important and challenging assignment serving the people of Illinois.”

During Lieberman’s tenure, CNT developed many innovative programs that applied rigorous economic theory and analysis in pursuit of capturing the hidden value of the natural and built urban environments for the benefit of individuals, families and small businesses. The Community Energy Cooperative developed the nation’s first real-time residential electricity pricing program. The program was consistently highlighted in the priority agendas of Illinois policymaking bodies for its sound approach to helping safeguard communities against risk while putting cash in peoples’ pockets. The Cooperative has many times been recognized for its impressive achievements, including by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, the Peak Load Management Association and the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

Lieberman was also instrumental in the launch and expansion of I-GOSM, Chicago’s only car sharing program. I-GO offers time-share access to neighborhood-based cars in 11 communities, providing residents who choose not to or can’t afford to own a car with a valuable service. I-GO has been yielding environmental returns to the region for its congestion-mitigation impacts and economic returns to residents who find sharing a car much more affordable than owning one.

CNT is a twenty-seven year old non-profit that carries out research, policy advocacy and economic development projects in pursuit of building more livable and sustainable communities. CNT is supported by individuals, foundations, government grants and income-producing programs. While the majority of its work is in the greater Chicago region, CNT works with partners across the country on issues of energy alternatives, transportation policy and investment and economic development. CNT currently has assignments in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Atlanta and Washington DC.

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