About Us | Mission, Values & Leadership | Navy Pier

A young girl wearing a pirate hat stands next to the Captain on the Helm statue at Navy Pier

OUR MISSION

Navy Pier is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation established in 2011 to maintain Navy Pier and oversee the redevelopment of one of the most important civic landmarks in the United States and one of the top-visited leisure and cultural destinations in the world.

In anticipation of the Pier’s 100th anniversary, celebrated in 2016, Navy Pier created The Centennial Vision, a framework for reimagining Navy Pier. Grounded in the noble principles of its founding designers, The Centennial Vision adds a visionary and contemporary lens for the future. In anticipation of the Pier’s 100th anniversary, celebrated in 2016, Navy Pier created The Centennial Vision, a framework for reimagining Navy Pier. Grounded in the noble principles of its founding designers, The Centennial Vision adds a visionary and contemporary lens for the future.

Navy Pier’s mission is to be a world-class public place that celebrates and showcases the vitality of Chicago and provides for the enjoyment of Chicago-area residents and guests year-round. Navy Pier manages Navy Pier within a business framework that provides for its long-term financial stability.

While looking forward to what is relevant for Chicagoans today, Navy Pier leadership is ever conscious of famed architect Daniel Burnham’s vision to transform the lakefront into attractive and useful public space for active recreation and social interaction – a source of pride and common ground that fosters a sense of community within the city’s diverse population.

Navy Pier’s objectives for the future remain consistent with Burnham’s enduring values for the ‘People’s Pier’ to be a place where local residents and guests from around the world come to experience the natural beauty of the lakefront and Chicago’s magnificent skyline.

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Our Values

A young girl marvels at the view from the Centennial Wheel

Excellence

We strive to offer:

Exceptional service to our guests and partners
An authentic Chicago experience
An architecturally stunning environment offering access to extraordinary vistas of the lake, land and skyline

Dad and daughter paint together at Chicago Children's Museum

Integrity

We aspire to:

Deliver high-quality experiences, cultural and educational programs and guest services
Cultivate a skilled, talented and motivated team
Best-in-class nonprofit operating standards and financial accountability

Four friends walking outside at Navy Pier with drinks

Inclusion

We aim to:

Embrace and celebrate a diverse community and workforce
Attract dynamic, inventive partners and collaborators
Offer affordable options and opportunities for engagement to all

Stewardship

We endeavor to:

Celebrate the Pier’s rich history rooted in the Burnham Plan of Chicago
Manage our assets and environmental resources with foresight and prudence
Engage donors and other stakeholders in our efforts

Who We Are

Navy Pier History

Historic Navy Pier is among the most visited destinations in the world. Since its reopening in 1995, the Pier has welcomed over 186 million guests, including a record-breaking 9.3 million guests in 2016.
Navy Pier has enjoyed a remarkable evolution. Originally designed for shipping and recreational purposes, the facility has evolved into a premiere entertainment and exposition center. Experience an interactive timeline of Navy Pier’s history at 100yearsofpier.com.
Watch WTTW’s documentary, Navy Pier: A Century of Reinvention.
Sustainability

Through efficient use of our resources, nurturing of our spaces and engagement with our guests, Navy Pier strives to have a positive impact on our natural environment. For more information about green partnerships, plans and progress, click here.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
As members of the Navy Pier Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, we:
- Embody Navy Pier’s mission to be “The People’s Pier,” and commit to our role in shaping a place where all are welcome
- Foster Navy Pier’s DEI Plan, establish goals, and carry these out through recommendations and actions that integrate the needs of Navy Pier staff, board members, partners, and guests
- Cultivate a vision for a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization, one open to collaborating with all who also hope to realize our collective ambition
- Leverage Navy Pier’s unique influence to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion beyond the Pier's physical reach
- Provide space for challenging conversations alongside opportunities for learning to facilitate greater understanding and growth for staff, board members, partners, and guests
- Own this work as part of an ongoing process, recognize change as inevitable, and acknowledge these aspects by offering this statement as a “living document,” open to future adaptations

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Mission, Values & Leadership

OUR MISSION

Support the Pier's Mission

Our Values

Excellence

Integrity

Inclusion

Stewardship

Who We Are

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