The Chicago Debate Commission is pleased to announce that Robert (Bob) Chrismer, Chief Human Resources Officer at Performance Trust Capital Partners, has joined the Chicago Debate Commission Board of Directors, bringing with him thirty years of experience in financial and professional services.

Prior to joining the CDC Board, Bob served on the Board of Literature for All of Us, an Evanston-based not-for-profit literacy organization that conducts professionally-led book groups and writing seminars for under-served youth in Chicago schools.

Bob’s interest in urban education began in the late 1970s when he worked in educational programming for City Colleges of Chicago.  Over the years he has developed a passion for improving educational outcomes for under-served youth, focusing on programs that boost student academic achievement and programs that help students develop essential skills for success in their professional lives.  His dedication to Chicago’s youth and his previous work in both education and business promise to offer fresh perspectives to the Chicago Debate Commission and will strengthen the CDC Board’s efforts to attract corporate support for the Chicago Debate League.

Prior to joining Performance Trust in 2009, Bob was a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles, a pre-eminent executive search firm serving corporate clients worldwide. During his four years at Heidrick, Bob placed executives in senior strategy and human resources positions at companies across diverse industry sectors.  From 1994-2005, Bob was Director of Global Recruiting and North American Human Resources for A.T.,Kearney, a global management consulting firm.  Bob began his corporate career in 1981 at First Chicago Corporation (currently JP Morgan Chase). There, he was responsible for campus and executive recruiting, as well as various employee development programs.

Bob holds a Master of Arts degree in Latin American History from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.  He and his wife, Alice, are long-time Evanston residents and charter donors to the Fund for Women and Girls at the Evanston Community Foundation.