John Zeigler is Director of DePaul University Egan Office of Urban Education and Community Partnerships (UECP). John recognizes that the most effective solutions to community issues should be community driven. For over twenty-five years he has worked in the capacity of counselor, educator, community activist, lobbyist, therapist, researcher, and creative artist in Chicago communities. John also is the Director of Community Partnerships for the Chicago Peace Fellows where he helps to construct “glocal” global and local grass root organizational development. He believes in the power of building effective networks and creating opportunities for community partners to share their practices, promising ideas, and challenges to create impact. His work is rooted in the belief that if we create the right environments people will organize together and solve their own problems. He works with local leaders to assess the opportunities and needs that can be addressed by leveraging internal resources with external investment. While director of the Egan Urban Center he was awarded the Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace award given by Morehouse College in Atlanta Georgia. John has been awarded the Peace Corps’ Loret Miller Ruppe Award for Outstanding Community Service, Young Chicago Authors Wallace Douglas Distinguished Service Award, and the State of Illinois, “Everyday Hero”, All Stars Project Community Leadership Award. He is an Asset Based Community Development and Shannon Institute Fellow.

He is also adjunct faculty at DePaul University.