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Home The Chamber About Us Jonathan Perman Bio

Jonathan Perman Bio

Jonathan Perman has led The Evanston Chamber of Commerce as executive director of The Evanston Chamber of Commerce since 1992. An accomplished business and community leader with a proven record of providing guidance to professional and trade organizations, he has focused the organization on advancing economic development, government and public affairs, land use and zoning, and fiscal policy.

Through an aggressive plan to enhance support services for local businesses and create numerous opportunities for networking and education, The Chamber has become an influential and dynamic organization with many volunteers participating in events, committees, and task forces. The Chamber is also recognized as a leader in local and regional public and business policy issues.

Jonathan provides consultative services to the real estate industry, financial investors, government officials, and institutional partners. He has created the political support, public relations, and developed the economic arguments for the approval of many major new development projects in Evanston. Between 2000-2008, over $1 billion of new private and public investment (in projects worth >$2 million) were constructed and opened. Just as important, Evanston is now a model community for “transit-oriented” development, urban cultural amenities, and entrepreneurial environment.

From 1988 through 1991, Jonathan served as director of governmental affairs for The Greater New Haven (CT) Chamber of Commerce. In this position, he was the lobbyist for the region's business community before the state legislature in Hartford and at the local level in New Haven. Jonathan built partnerships between business and government to address crucial regional public policy issues including:

• Helping to lead the fight to establish an income tax and cuts in state spending in Connecticut as a replacement for the onerous business tax rates, which were weakening economic competitiveness.
• The redevelopment of New Haven's airport, developing a national airline recruiting effort, and successfully leading negotiations for the City of New Haven with United Airlines to start daily roundtrip nonstop jet service to Chicago and Washington, D.C.
• The establishment of new rail commuter service for New Haven including the designing of shuttle bus routes through the downtown area.

Before arriving in New Haven, Jonathan was a professional staff member for the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Energy, Nuclear Proliferation, and Government Processes in Washington, D.C. At the Subcommittee, he orchestrated hearings on energy security, nuclear power, nuclear waste management, and natural gas supplies. He also began an investigation into illegal direct-mail practices that noted author Hedrick Smith cited in his 1988 book, "The Power Game."

To bridge his closely related interests in government and theatre, Jonathan wrote songs and performed with the Capitol Steps, a political musical satire group, heard regularly on National Public Radio.

Jonathan received a B.A. in history and political science from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) degree from the University of Michigan School of Public Policy Studies in Ann Arbor.

He currently serves on the boards of Evanston Inventure (local economic development organization), Downtown Evanston (special service district responsible for marketing and infrastructure), and was elected in 2008 to the board of the Roscoe Village Neighbors Association. Jonathan has coached and refereed American Youth Soccer Organization teams and is an avid hockey player and fan.