Board Member
Creative Director and Founder of The Roof Crop, Urban Aggregate and Runner Collective, and a managing partner in Hospitality 201
Now based in Chicago, Tracy Boychuk is the Creative Director and Founder of The Roof Crop, Urban Aggregate and Runner Collective, and a managing partner in Hospitality 201.
Tracy began her career in the art department at Sony Music in New York City. From there she served as Design Director for MTV’s Off-Air Creative Department and next as Co-Creative at RCA Records, sharing the responsibility with longtime design collaborator, Brett Kilroe. After her years in the music industry, Tracy left to become a founding partner for NYC award-winning design firm and agency, Trooper. During her tenure in New York, Tracy taught undergraduate courses in design and portfolio development at the prestigious School of Visual Arts for over fifteen years and mentored several of her students professionally.
She currently collaborates and consults on select branding and marketing projects through Runner Collective with national and international clients but her current focus is on managing the series of urban rooftop farms under The Roof Crop stewardship and has recently launched the sister project Urban Aggregate in an effort to connect urban agriculture and farmers to sustainable sales streams and collaborative opportunities. The Roof Crop also co-manages 21 beehives in the city of Chicago.
Originally from Canada, Tracy has taken deep respect for growing food from her farm-raised father and adapted it to growing everything from strawberries to tomatoes on roofs in Chicago and engaging the tenants of those buildings. The systems aim to be ecologically rich and strive to use everything grown from weed to flower. Most food is sold to Chicago’s most remarkable chefs, some are used for tenant programming and engagement and now through the Urban Aggregate, is finding its way into communities in need.
Most recently, The Roof Crop has engaged in event and floral design, bringing things full circle and combining her design experience with her mission of growing responsibly and teaching about that process.
Along with the Herschel Supply Co and her husband James Hughes, Tracy co-founded The Brett Robison Kilroe Scholarship for International Studies allowing one Canadian design student per year the opportunity to study internationally.