Meet the Team! Announcing our New Shared Leadership Model
The LUCHA Board of Directors is thrilled to announce the appointment of Lincoln Stannard and Lillian Bui to the shared leadership roles of Co-Executive Directors. Each will devote their time and experience to executive leadership responsibilities, bringing their unique skill-sets to bear.
Lincoln, who first came to LUCHA in 2017, will continue to lead LUCHA’s affordable housing development and property management work. Lillian, who also serves as Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives for Association House, will play a critical role in integrating operations and maximizing the benefits of the formal alliance announced last week.
Since January 2024, LUCHA has been actively practicing shared leadership, leaning on the unique strengths of our Board of Directors and Executive team members. Through this, we were reminded that the best decisions are made collectively. Together we broke down silos and worked to solve some of today’s most challenging housing issues. The Board continues this momentum by appointing Lillian and Lincoln to these critical roles and by continuing to include community– including low-income and Spanish-speaking households– into all of LUCHA’s community development processes.
Meet the Team!
Bui is an experienced nonprofit leader and accomplished fundraiser. Since arriving at Association House of Chicago in 2021, Bui has doubled the size of the development and marketing team and secured more than $3.2 million in new government funding. Her collaborative and strategic approach drives efficiencies and growth. Bui is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and earned a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. She came to know this community first as an Americorps member at the former Lafayette Elementary School. And while she jokes that her fundraising work dates back to her years as a Girl Scout, her first formal role was with Habitat for Humanity, where she lived into their mission of building homes, communities and hope. Bui also serves as a board member with Corazon Community Services. Outside of work, you can catch her cheering on the Malcolm X Lady Hawks, where her niece plays basketball.
Stannard is a passionate community development practitioner and housing advocate. Over seven years with LUCHA, he has overseen accomplishments including the completion of Tierra Linda and the groundbreaking of Encuentro Square. As Director of Community Development, he has grown a project pipeline with the greatest number of units under development in LUCHA’s history. He brings a mission-centered approach, strong analytical skills and deep experience with a variety of project types and financing models. Lincoln began his career at the Chicago Community Loan Fund, where he managed construction lending for the City of Chicago’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program. He holds a Grow America Economic Development Finance Professional certification. Born and raised on Chicago’s West Side, Lincoln has called Logan Square home for 14 years. He has been active in local housing justice and tenant organizing projects, including time spent on the boards of the Here to Stay Land Trust and Somos Logan Square. An avid biker, his favorite destination in the city right now is the Montrose moonrise observation point on the lakefront.
“LUCHA has been one of the centerpieces of creative thinking regarding affordable housing for decades on Chicago’s north side. Born out of political struggles in the greater Humboldt Park area, it has never lost its activist side as it continues to fight for public policies on behalf of folks who face displacement or income shortfalls. The services and programs that we offer for our tenants who are single mothers, for instance, represent the sort of ethical commitment that roots our organization. And more recently our building of a passive house points to another ethical commitment: the planet itself. We look forward to this opportunity to strengthen the work of both LUCHA and Association House Chicago. Our remarkable new leaders, Lillian Bui and Lincoln Stannard, are ready to shape our future,” says Ralph Cintrón, Board Member at LUCHA.
“From its beginnings by community activists of the Puerto Rican diaspora seeking to stabilize their homes and their communities, to the creation of the first ‘passive house’ -certified multi-family building in the Midwest, LUCHA has always been at the forefront of housing activism and community development in the greater Humboldt Park community. By strategically allying with Association House of Chicago, another community anchor, and naming Lillian and Lincoln as Co-Executive Directors, we are ensuring that both community voice and best-in-class innovation remain key pillars of LUCHA’s work and mission,” adds Juan Carlos, Association House’s President and CEO.