Individual | Inducted 2025
Jonathan “Yoni” Pizer has emerged as a leader in the Chicago LGBTQ+ community through serving as the first board president of AIDS Garden Chicago in Lincoln Park, the city’s first public monument to memorialize the early days of Chicago’s HIV epidemic and to honor those who continue to fight against the disease today. As AIDS Garden Chicago’s board president, Pizer uses his network to provide financial support and meaningful programming at the garden, bringing leaders in social service, politics, and the arts to speak and perform.
Pizer has also been the LGBTQ community liaison for Chicago Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) for 11 years. In that capacity, he organizes events to bring community members together with Rep. Quigley to share information. Pizer and his husband, Brad Lippitz, also regularly host fundraising events for pro-LGBTQ+ politicians such as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Pizer earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He served as a Democratic member of the Illinois House in 2020, representing Illinois’ 12th legislative district, which includes parts of Chicago’s Lincoln Park, Lake View, and Uptown neighborhoods.