Civic Consulting Alliance names Scheinfeld its CEO

The Civic Consulting Alliance, a nonprofit with links to Chicago’s biggest corporations, said Tuesday it has named Rebekah Scheinfeld its president and CEO. Scheinfeld was Chicago’s transportation commissioner under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

She succeeds Brian Fabes, who led the group for 15 years. The alliance is part of the Civic Committee, an organization of Chicago-area CEOs, and provides free consulting services to local governments and nonprofits.

Civic Committee President Kelly Welsh praised Scheinfeld for her “wide-ranging experience in both the public and private sectors, more than two decades of experience tackling challenging urban development issues, and a proven devotion to making her hometown a better place to live, work, and do business.”

As transportation commissioner, Scheinfeld handled capital projects such as the Riverwalk and the 606 trail. She promoted initiatives for pedestrian safety and spoke in favor of red-light and speed cameras, putting her at odds with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has criticized cameras set up for tickets and not traffic control. Scheinfeld resigned her city post in the waning days of the Emanuel administration.

A former chief planning officer for the Chicago Transit Authority, Scheinfeld said she was drawn to the alliance because of her experience working with its consultants. She also helped the alliance while working as a lawyer at Mayer Brown.

Fabes is married to Lisa Schneider-Fabes, who was assigned to Lightfoot’s office as an executive at World Business Chicago. The Wilmette resident resigned from World Business Chicago after criticism she was evading residency requirements that apply to city workers.