Chad Schwitters joined McKnight in January 2022 as a senior program officer with the Vibrant & Equitable Communities program. In this role, he oversees and develops innovative grant portfolios to build a vibrant and equitable future for all Minnesotans with shared power, prosperity, and participation.
Chad brings to McKnight a deep understanding of housing, finance, and economics. For 20 years he was the CEO of Urban Homeworks Inc., an organization focused on catalyzing innovative community development through housing. In 2008, he founded and led Griesel Cooperative, a grassroots cooperative focused on fossil fuel alternatives. Most recently, he ran a consulting practice through his firm Visify, helping leaders grow through data visualization, coaching, and organizational and intercultural development.
Chad graduated from Bethel University with a bachelor’s in finance. He is a former board member of the Northside Achievement Zone and Uprising Theatre Company, and previously served as board member and chair of Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers. For several years, he volunteered with the Northside Community Response Team, playing a strategic role in its tornado relief efforts.
Chad is a longtime Northsider and currently lives there with his wife, three kids, two cats, and two dogs. He grew up in Greater Minnesota on a family farm and still loves to get out of town and drive, dive, ski, and hike.
