John Piercy

John Piercy is the Development Director of Mission Year. Piercy has a passion for creatively engaging and pursuing sustainability within organizations. He has spent the last year creatively engaging team members, alumni, staff, service organizations and friends to continue supporting the work of Mission Year. His passion for Mission Year builds each day as the relevance for learning neighborly attributes of love, reconciliation and the pursuit of justice as followers of Jesus continues to increase in relevance in the midst of poverty, war and other injustices.

Piercy was born July 11, 1980 in Champaign, IL. The son of a CPA turned entrepreneur father and a mother from a 3rd generation family business, Piercy spent his formative years working for the family shoe stores where his passion for business and entrepreneurship developed.

After high school, Piercy earned a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy with course load emphasis in Finance and Marketing from the University of Illinois (1999-03). In addition, Piercy spent a semester focusing on international business at the Arhus School of Business in Arhus, Denmark. His experiences and travels abroad, both in Europe and later South America, opened his eyes to poverty in the world. In 2003, Piercy moved to Chicago, IL to work as an auditor for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, never forgetting the pressing reality of poverty in Chicago and throughout the world.

Just 3 months into his career in Chicago, Piercy began attending River City Community Church, a church whose vision is centered on three tenants: Worship, Reconciliation and Community/Neighborhood Development. It was here that Piercy realized his passions and talents for business development, entrepreneurship when coupled with his heart for the poor, can be united as relevant and key expressions of faith. In 2004, Piercy left the Exchange to work in Operations at Mission Year. Shortly thereafter, Piercy purchased a 2-flat in South-West Humboldt Park to both live and provide quality affordable housing on his new block.

Piercy is committed to serving and living alongside the poor. He believes a key to neighborhood development includes new businesses on the block which lead to both community dignity and job creation. He is confident that with slight changes in focus coupled with persistence that traditional businesses and organizations can become vehicles for positive change in the community.

Piercy has been happily married since 2006 to Priya and together they have a wonderful boy, Timothy Naveen, born in May, 2007. They live in Chicago’s East Garfield Park neighborhood.