Susanne Schnell
Executive Director

Susanne has a broad background in non-profit management and community development with a special focus on reinvesting in cities and strengthening underserved urban communities. She has designed and implemented numerous community development, cultural, and civic initiatives in collaboration with leaders from community-based non-profits, cultural institutions, local government, businesses, and universities. Prior to her arrival at Archeworks, Susanne was the consulting director of the planning and start-up phase for the National Public Housing Museum, a new cultural institution in Chicago. Previously she held positions with the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and its affiliate, the Civic Consulting Alliance, where she launched several public-private partnership initiatives in community-based planning, inner-city business development, workforce training, and school leadership development. While at the Civic Committee, Susanne played a lead role in the strategic planning process and launch of the Historic Chicago Greystone Initiative, an affordable housing rehabilitation and preservation program now operated by Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago. Susanne also served as the consulting project director of the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s “Learning from North Lawndale” exhibition, which helped to spawn a community-based cultural heritage initiative. For four years, Susanne held an adjunct research faculty position with the City Design Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she co-launched a Green Neighborhood Studio Design Program. While at the Center, she also completed a national best practice study on demand building strategies in declining urban neighborhoods. Before moving to Chicago, Susanne was the Assistant Director of Social Compact, a Washington DC-based national coalition of financial services institutions that promotes community reinvestment partnerships in underserved markets. She holds degrees from Smith College and The University of Michigan.

Katie Vail
Program Manager

Katie manages admissions, marketing and communications, and general operations for Archeworks' postgraduate program. She also coordinates community design projects, manages public programs, and has overseen the production of recent Archeworks publications including WORKS and Bringing People to the Table. Before joining Archeworks in 2008, Katie held positions in the design and nonprofit sectors in Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland. She received a B.A. in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, and studied urban design and architecture in Copenhagen through Denmark's International Study program (DIS). Katie is a current member of the Delta Emerging Leaders committee of the Delta Institute, an organization that creates, funds, and implements programs to improve the environmental and economic health of the Great Lakes Region.

Beth Laurin
Bookkeeper

Beth Laurin brings many years of experience working in bookkeeping. She has a degree in interior design from Harrington Institute of Interior Design as well as a BA in French from Colby College. In her free time she is involved in a community garden and creating artwork.

Jeremy Scidmore
Information Systems Manager

Jeremy manages the information systems at Archeworks and is currently developing data archival systems and processes for Archeworks past, current, and future projects. Before joining the Archeworks team, Jeremy worked as a computer resource manager at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and was a managing partner at Chicago Hot Glass, a glass arts resource center. Jeremy received his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Masters of Arts Administration and Policy at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.