Elbert Walters III

Executive Director
Powering Chicago

Elbert Walters III is the Executive Director of Powering Chicago, an electrical industry labor-management partnership between IBEW Local 134 and the Electrical Contractors' Association of City of Chicago that invests in consistently better construction, better careers and better communities within the metro Chicago region. Employing the latest technology, Powering Chicago's members are elevating industry performance through their commitment to safety, level of experience and reliability, while also investing in the future of skilled labor through an innovative, five-year apprenticeship program.

A former business representative for IBEW Local 134, Walters leads Powering Chicago's 100+ philanthropic and community impact initiatives each year and plays a key role in its daily operations. In his previous role at IBEW Local 134, Walters worked with colleagues to represent the interests of more than 13,000 electricians in metro Chicago. Walters began his career in the trades as an electrical apprentice at the IBEW-NECA Technical Institute, where he received the Apprentice of the Year award during his final year in the program before becoming a journeyman electrician. While working in the field, Walters served as a journeyman wireman and foreman at several electrical contracting companies in metropolitan Chicago, including Meade Electric, Divane Brothers Electric and MZI Group, Inc.