Chrissie Bonner

Chrissie Bonner is an illustrator and facilitator who helps organizations and communities navigate towards clarity with confidence. 

She is the founder and principal of Illustrating Progress, a creative studio that uses illustration, visual storytelling, and design to turn complex conversations into clarity, momentum, and shared vision. She also writes, speaks, and facilitates as a Visioning Strategist with FutureGood, where she helps changemakers imagine bold, equitable futures.

Chrissie is the author of Lean In & Let Go: Tools for Reimagining (2024) and Unstuck (2021). She has also illustrated And She Came Tumbling Down by Karla Adkins (2022) and Bless This Mess by Dr. Stephen Klasko (2018). Her work has been featured on CBS News.  

She has been recognized with awards for nonprofit philanthropic leadership and for advancing social good as a Philadelphia-based women-owned business.

She has served on several boards including the International Forum of Visual Practitioners and the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. 

Prior to launching Illustrating Progress in 2014, Chrissie spent nearly a decade at The Philadelphia Foundation, supporting the capacity-building efforts of hundreds of nonprofits across Greater Philadelphia.

Chrissie holds degrees in Art History (B.A., Temple University, Tyler School of Art), Arts Administration (M.S., Drexel University), and Organizational Development and Leadership (M.S., Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine). 

Born on the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and raised in Virginia’s Tidewater region, she has called Philadelphia her creative home since 1999.

Her work is grounded in the belief that creativity and listening are powerful tools for resilience, adaptability, and social change.