Dan Gibbons has had a front-row seat to the highest-profile events and activities in Chicago for the better part of the last twenty years, and counts local luminaries like former Mayor Richard M. Daley, Andy McKenna, Pat Ryan, and Chicago Cut’s Matt Moore as friends and mentors. And yet, ask Gibbons to share the greatest piece of advice that he received – in his case, from McKenna - and he will tell you: “Don’t ever forget your parents.”
For Gibbons, his parents – of 100% Irish descent – put him on the path that has led him to City Hall, Ireland, and now to the City Club of Chicago, where he serves as CEO.
“I had a great family upbringing, and being Irish defined my childhood,” Gibbons recalls, noting that he is “Chicago South Side born and bred” as a Beverly native. His father owned Town Liquor at 100th and Western, which served as a center of the community and an unofficial headquarters of the venerable South Side Irish Parade, in which Gibbons would march with his cousins and extended family members. He had the privilege of visiting Ireland as a child and fondly remembers trips to his grandmother’s house on the “Irish Riviera” in Michigan.
“My family was very proud of what got us there, which was hard work,” Gibbons says.
Gibbons points to 7th grade as the beginning of his interest in government and civic service; his teacher Mrs. Dart – mother of Cook Co. Sheriff Tom Dart – helped to turn on the proverbial lightbulb in his brain, and he never looked back. He attended St. Ignatius College Prep, studying US Government under the school’s president John Chandler, who encouraged him to inquire about working at City Hall. Gibbons did that, taking a job at $10 an hour and interning for then-Mayor Daley at the end of his high school career.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from Marquette University, Gibbons returned to Chicago and took a job working in special projects under the Mayor. True to his heart as a South Sider, of all the different events and activities that he had the chance to plan, he calls out the 2005 parade after the White Sox won the World Series as the most memorable.
Gibbons had grown so close to Mayor Daley that when Daley retired from office in 2011, he asked Gibbons to work with him to start a small business development and investment firm – Tur Partners – Tur being the Irish word for “tower.” This was Gibbons’s entrée into the private sector, where he had the chance to regularly travel to Ireland for special projects for the firm.
“Mayor Daley was a mentor. I always wanted to be close to the action, and it was a privilege to carry out his vision for making the city a better place.”
During this time, Gibbons served on the board of the City Club of Chicago, the longest-running civic forum in Chicago that was founded in 1903, and he was chosen as the club’s Chief Executive Officer in January of 2023.
Dan Gibbons, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Norma Foley; Minister for Children, Disability & Equity, and Kate Gibbons
“When I became CEO, I looked at is an opportunity to breath some new life into the organization,” Gibbons says, noting that the institution that is predicated on hosting in-person events had struggled facing the COVID-19 pandemic, to the point where it was close to ceasing to exist.
Ask Gibbons about his vision for the City Club, and he will share that he wants to identify and lift up the next generation of leaders, whether they are businesspeople, government or political officials, nonprofit workers, teachers, police officers, or professionals in any other industry. As he says, “Everyone can be a civic leader, regardless of their title.”
Upon taking over as CEO, Gibbons quickly got to work acting on this vision, developing a five-year strategic plan that included an emphasis on welcoming global leaders to engage with the organization. Naturally, he turned to Ireland to help make this vision a reality, and he proudly notes that he has brought in Micheál Martin and Irish Ambassador to the United States Geraldine Byrne Nason, among many others, as speakers to sold-out events that the City Club has hosted.
This connection with Ireland did not happen by accident. After all, Gibbons had been an active supporter of the Ireland Funds for years, serving on its Chicago Young Leaders board before transitioning to the full board, which afforded him the opportunity to return to Ireland to attend the organization’s annual conference that brings together supporters from around the globe and spotlights the impact of the philanthropy that funds projects across the Emerald Isle. He credits the connections he has made through this conference with helping him bring such esteemed Irish dignitaries to the City Club and enhancing his own personal and professional growth.
Deerfield House in Ireland (L to R) :John Doyle, Ambassador Kevin O’Malley (former US Ambassador to Ireland),
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Dan Gibbons, Konstantin Koloskov.
“I was fortunate to have mentors like Tom Meagher, Andy McKenna, and Pat Ryan, who guided me in the direction of the Ireland Funds, and it’s really been life-changing for me. Once I got to that conference in Ireland, I understood what it’s all about, and I never turned back. My wife and I make it a staple of our year, and I’m proud to be a part of such an amazing group.”
In addition to his service with the Ireland Funds, Gibbons has enjoyed his time with the Irish Fellowship Club, which he describes as a “quintessentially Chicago” organization.
Reflecting on his successful career journey, and particularly his role in leading the City Club, Gibbons returns to the importance of connection.
Kwami Raoul and Dan Gibbons
“It’s a very Irish concept of connecting good people. With the Irish that means more than just business connections. They become friendships. What I do is connect people from different sectors, and parts of Chicago, and that is rooted in my Irish heritage, and the lessons I learned from my parents. The Irish see something in you and connect others to help them do what you want to do.”
Dan Gibbons Leads City Club Chicago with Irish Mantra: 'Connect Good People'
