The Chicago Loop Alliance on Thursday announced Suzet McKinney as its new president and CEO starting May 11.
She was most recently director of life sciences at developer Sterling Bay. McKinney was previously CEO of the Illinois Medical District and has served as deputy commissioner at the Chicago Department of Public Health.
McKinney succeeds Michael Edwards, who stepped down as head of the Loop Alliance last month after 13 years.
The Loop Alliance “is well-situated to leverage the increased residential activity in the Loop, as well as new corporate neighbors,” McKinney said in a news release. “We have a real opportunity to harness these assets, blending them with additional high-density commercial, retail and entertainment opportunities to create 24/7 vibrancy, similar to what we are seeing in multiuse districts and arts and entertainment submarkets across the country.”
McKinney, a Chicago native, takes the helm of the member association amid ongoing ups and downs for Downtown, which continues to see high retail and office vacancies since the pandemic shifted work remote.
Like many downtowns across the U.S., State Street has struggled following the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, more than 15 retailers vacated the Downtown corridor, including Anthropologie, Express, H&M and Urban Outfitters.
For the second consecutive year, the Loop’s retail vacancy rate has fallen from 29.8% in 2024 to 28.5% in 2025, according to Stone Real Estate. Vacancies along State Street have gone from about 35% to 28.8%, for the same period.
Efforts are underway to lure people Downtown and revive Chicago’s economic engine. In February, the Loop Alliance unveiled plans for a new arts district. Nearly 90 Loop arts organizations will develop the neighborhood as an arts and culture destination.
The Loop Alliance also announced it received an $800,000 two-year grant from the Department of Planning and Development to help fill vacant storefronts through community investment like preparing the empty spaces and supporting small businesses.
In addition, the organization got a $1.1 million grant to expand its social service outreach program in the Central Business District. The program will launch this spring.