Adrian Soto

Adrian Soto serves as Executive Director for Greater Southwest Development Corporation (GSDC) where he has overall strategic, operational, management and regulatory responsibility for the organization. Soto develops and drives a local and inclusive economic development plan, managing appropriate City, County, State relationships and resource availability to support GSDC’s mission. Having grown up in Chicago Lawn, he has a personal stake in the future of the neighborhood and is committed to improving the quality of life for the greater Southwest community.

For the past 17 years, Soto has proven to be an effective, results-oriented leader with a keen ability to build confidence and relationships across a diverse array of stakeholders. Soto’s experience in business and non-profit sectors gives him a unique lens that enables him to move forward complex, high-stakes projects efficiently with an eye toward community collaboration and partnership.

Most recently, Soto served as Chief Strategy Officer for Esperanza Health Centers where he was responsible for supporting the mission of Esperanza by identifying and implementing key strategic initiatives. He led the development of a 26,000 sq./ft. building project financed through New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) with three separate Community Development Entities (CDEs) and total project size of $17.8 million that was completed in May 2019.

Adrian is a Chicago native whose parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from Southern Illinois University, has completed a post-baccalaureate Executive Education program at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business in Chamber Leadership, and is a graduate from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Entrepreneurship Program.