2025
2025
Nina Idemudia, AICP
Inaugural Wendell Legacy Impact Award Recipient
Nina embodies everything the Wendell Award represents: bold leadership, transformative impact, heartfelt mentorship, and a steadfast commitment to empowering women in the planning profession. Her work has inspired countless planners and left an indelible mark on the communities she serves. Congratulations, Nina!
2025 Wendell Impact Award Recipient Nina Idemudia, AICP
Recipient Profile
Nina Idemudia, AICP, is a planner with purpose who has built her career at the intersection of equity, data, and community power. She currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), where she is leading the 45-year-old “think-and-do tank” into its next chapter of shaping more resilient, connected, and just communities. Under her leadership, CNT has expanded its national influence while staying rooted in neighborhood-level partnerships, advancing equitable transit-oriented development, climate resilience, and innovative data tools like the Chicago Truck Data Portal.
Before stepping into the CEO role, Nina served as Director of the Chicago Recovery Plan at the Department of Planning and Development, where she managed $246.5 million in community investment. She also worked as Chief of Staff to Commissioner Maurice Cox, helping modernize Chicago’s planning systems and champion equity-centered policy. Her career began in Los Angeles, where she managed complex rezonings, community plan updates, and the $14 billion LAX Landside Access Modernization Program.
Nina is a national At-Large Board Member of the American Planning Association and a board member of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. She teaches “Leading for Change” at the University of Illinois Chicago and was named to Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40 Class of 2024. A proud Detroiter, Nina brings her lived experience to her work, ensuring that planning delivers on its promise for communities that have historically been left behind.