She/Her

Board Member

A proud native of Chicago’s South Side, Adrienne Irmer has been a passionate champion of social causes for over 20 years.  Adrienne currently serves as the Associate Vice President for External Affairs at Illinois Tech. Prior to joining Illinois Tech, Adrienne served on legislative staff of Cook County Board President, Toni Preckwinkle, managing legislation from the Cook County Bureau of Asset Management.

In May 2020, Adrienne was appointed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to Special Service Area (SSA) #42 Commissioner. In July of 2021, Adrienne was named to the Advisory Committee of the We Will Chicago initiative of the City of Chicago, the first comprehensive city planning initiative since 1966.

Adrienne received her bachelor’s in Biology from MIT (2004), and, as a National Urban Fellow (2014), Adrienne received her MPA and served as Special Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Beverly Hills, CA.  Adrienne is a 2023 Fellow with Leadership Greater Chicago, a 2019 Fellow with Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership, 2018 Emerging Leader with Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 2017 Political Partner with Truman National Security Project, 2017 Fellow of the Chicago Urban League IMPACT Leadership Development Program, and a 2016 Fellow with New Leaders Council, Chicago.  Adrienne’s current civic leadership includes: Co-Founder and Co-Organizer of Pride South Side, the Board of Directors for Social Change and The Civic Federation, and serves as the Illinois Tech delegate to the Board of Perspectives Charter Schools. For her years of dedicated service to community, in 2024 Adrienne received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service.

Adrienne lives in the South Shore community of Chicago with her spouse and two children.