Chrissie Bonner

Chrissie's life began in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and she spent her formative years in the Tidewater region of Virginia. In 1999, she relocated to Philadelphia, PA where she pursued her passion for the arts and organizational growth, earning degrees in Art History (Temple University), Arts Administration (Drexel University), and Organizational Development and Leadership (Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine).

Her professional career began in institutional philanthropy at The Philadelphia Foundation, where she developed exceptional project management skills while supporting over 200 nonprofits in the Greater Philadelphia area for nearly a decade. This experience honed her ability to navigate organizational complexity and design creative solutions for diverse teams.

Since 2014, Chrissie has led Illustrating Progress, a creative consultancy that has grown from a solo practice to one with creatives from all over the country and the world. She excels at designing and facilitating dynamic workshops, creating complex infographics, and developing mapping tools and frameworks that help groups unlock their creative potential.

Chrissie's core skills lie in making the complex accessible through visual storytelling and strategy alignment. She expertly guides teams through creative meeting processes, transforming abstract ideas into compelling visual narratives. Her unique talent for blending artistic expertise with organizational strategy enables clients to align their visions and navigate complexity with confidence.

She continues to live and thrive in Philadelphia, PA where she is driven by her commitment to making creativity a powerful force for thriving and adaptation. 

She has also illustrated several books, including And She Came Tumbling Down by Karla Adkins (2022), and Bless this Mess: A Picture Story of Healthcare in America by Dr. Stephen Klasko (2018). 

She also wrote and illustrated Unstuck, her picturebook about denial and self-deception (2021), and most recently published Lean In & Let Go: Tools for Reimagining (2024).