Levi Baer Email & Phone Number

I guide organizations through complex, scaled cultural change. Working with a core group of stakeholders, I lead discovery to better understand the problems and opportunities, develop intervention plans that target key organizational moments, resources, and systems as strategic areas of impactful change, and facilitate workshops, coaching, and other moments to implement the change. All of this is done through a human-centered and equitable approach, putting the identities and needs of the end-user at the center of the design process.

Luna Park is the best way for your team to connect, build community, and have fun! They offer live and on demand game-show style games and activities that create a one-of-a-kind connection experience. As an Advisor, I share insights with the Luna Park team around game design, facilitation and training, inclusion and equity, and organizational dynamics. I joined Luna Park because of how much fun I had as a participant, and because it's the perfect match with my skills and background.

Chicago, Il

My co-founder Nicole Vasquez and I created Second Shift, a coworking space on Chicago's Northwest side known for its welcoming community. We put inclusion at the heart of the business model and created a coworking space that was just as much about being in community with others as it was about having a productive space to get good work done. In 2017 we were voted Chicago's Best Coworking Space by the Chicago Reader, 3 months after we opened! I was the full-time on-site Manager of Second Shift for its first three years, leading a team of work-trade managers, fostering the community relationships, and handling all onsite operations. In February 2020, we partnered with Creative Density from Colorado to manage our space, and in January 2022 cemented the partnership by handing off full ownership. I'm extremely proud of everything we accomplished with Second Shift, and grateful it continues on as a successful business. It was many things to me and others; it was my sandbox to see what worked for building inclusion and equity in a place where no one had any inherent ties. I base a lot of my insights to community building and DEI to what we learned along the way at Second Shift.

Levi Baer is a trainer and community builder from Chicago. His work focuses on fostering welcoming and inclusive spaces that are grounded in practices of equity. Levi’s facilitation comes from a place of joyful, hands-on engagement while also creating room for brave conversations around difficult topics. Some of his most notable engagements have included guiding a public arts institution through an anti-racism program, using a game he designed to train the entire Chicago Public Library staff, and travelling to Bosnia and Herzegovina to help develop the country’s emerging coworking ecosystem. Across all his work, he brings a love of connecting with people and bringing out the best that we all have to offer.

Chicago, Il

As the Director of Training at Chicago United for Equity, I further our work in dismantling systemic racism by leading our nine month equity fellowship and designing and leading community discussions that center civic impact on people of color.The annual CUE Fellowship gives 30 civic leaders in Chicago the tools, support, and community needed to examine their work through the lens of race equity and carry out community-focused impact projects. My work includes selecting the Fellows, designing and implementing the curriculum, leading training sessions, leading alumni engagement, and crafting the broader race equity movement in Chicago. I also lead facilitation for civic discussions called Racial Equity Impact Assessments when CUE responds to community calls for feedback to be giving to decision makers about local developments and inequities. Using the REIA tool, we bring together residents and community stakeholders for a civil discussion that focuses on people of color; those who have been historically -and are currently- most negatively impacted by these developments and left out of roles of power in civic decision making.

Chicago, Il

Teaching as an adjunct in the College of Communication and Driehaus College of Business at DePaul university. The two main values I bring to my classroom are inclusion and engagement. First, I make sure everyone is welcome, no matter their background, experience, orientation, or ability. I do so by making this expectation clear on day one and reinforcing it throughout the class. I use a check-in method that gives every student a voice at least once per session. Second, I create an engaging classroom by not only using slides when necessary, but infusing some sort of hands on activity every class session. We use games, personality analysis, case studies, workshops, and guest speakers from my network to create an enriching experience.Classes I've lead:Entrepreneurship StrategySmall Group CommunicationBusiness and Professional CommunicationPublic Speaking

Chicago / The Balkans

Working with WorldChicago, I participated in an international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of State. First, in Oct 2017 I had the pleasure of hosting Alema Pelesić from Bosnia & Herzegovina at Second Shift, my coworking space in Chicago. We spent a month immersed in the Chicago entrepreneurial ecosystem, creating ideas for projects and plans that could be used to create more access to tools and resources to startups in our respective regions. I was then selected to participate in the reciprocal trip to the Balkans in Spring of 2018. For 11 days, with five other representatives from Chicago, I traveled around the Balkans speaking at conferences and meeting with local business owners to exchange ideas, contacts, best practices, and build an international bond. It was an incredible experience; my full report of the trip is posted here. Now, I continue to participate with WorldChicago as they host cohorts of international business leaders. I have served as a pitch judge and meet with participants who are involved in coworking, education, inclusion, and community building ventures, which are my areas of expertise.

Chicago, Il

Strengthening the immersive experience for international entrepreneurs in the WorldChicago Professional Fellows Program by making network connections, providing local recommendations, and coordinating events and opportunities. Following my involvement as a professional host in the U.S and travelling representative in the Balkans, I've continued to build my relationship with WorldChicago through this formal role that builds international diplomacy.

Chicago, Il

• Managed a neighborhood safety program with 41 employees at four sites that requires interviewing, payroll administration, and day to day problem solving• Managed a mentoring program that develops opportunities for youth employment and education• Tracked staff scheduling and overlapping project deadlines for two programs• Streamlined data management procedures and platform• Directed curriculum and budget development• Measured program effectiveness using evaluative data• Collaborated with resource development team on grant prospecting and writing• Facilitated employee productivity through leadership, weekly team meetings, and the recognition of achievements with monthly awards

Master'S Degree, Organizational And Multicultural Communication With A Focus In Training And Development, With Distinction

Bachelor'S Degree, Communication Studies