Former Peoria City Council member Denise Moore is retiring as the head of two nonprofit organizations she founded.
Moore is stepping down as CEO of the Black Business Alliance Peoria and the Minority Business Development Center at the end of June.
She said she wants to spend more time with her family, including her aging parents in Chicago and her grandchildren in Kansas City.
“My husband and daughter have been pushing me to make this decision for years,” Moore said in a news release. “They finally get their wish.”
Last year, Moore resigned as CEO of the Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity after only four months on the job.
Moore is an entrepreneur who founded several businesses and organizations. She served two terms representing Peoria's first district, becoming the first Black woman elected to the city council in 2013.
“We are very sad that Denise will no longer serve as CEO, but glad to know that she is still a consultant’s call away,” said Rachael Parker, the Minority Business Development Center’s board president.
Luisa Gomez, the former Vice President of Community Banking Development for Busey Bank, has been chosen as the executive director of the Minority Business Development Center.
“I feel good about the fact that I’m leaving the BBA while on top, with the MBDC in great financial shape, and a talented staff who are more than capable of carrying the vision forward,” said Moore.
“Luisa has demonstrated her passion for minority business and a commitment to seeing those businesses thrive. She is already involved in many of the same initiatives that the MBDC has championed: financial literacy, community empowerment and engaging returning citizens.”
