Deborah Sawyer, who served as a Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Board Member from 2004 to 2015, passed away on August 7.
Sawyer founded Environmental Design International in 1991, and as a renowned environmental scientist, was an early advocate for STEM education for women and minorities.
Under Sawyer, EDI’s work includes engineering projects for the O’Hare Modernization Program, the Illinois Tollway, the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Chicago Housing Authority, the Dirksen Federal Courthouse Building renovation, and Exelon City Solar in West Pullman.
In addition to serving on the Chicagoland Chamber Board, Sawyer served on the boards of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the Innovations Conference on Asphalt and Transportations. She was also a member of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Supplier Diversity Task Force and involved in mentoring at the Young Women's Leadership Charter School in Bronzeville.
Click here to read Deborah Sawyer’s full obituary in Crain’s Chicago Business.