Applying what he learned at Goldman Sachs, Alper restructured the EDC and instilled a private sector focus in an effort to advance Mayor Michael Bloomberg's three-pronged economic development strategy: make the city more livable, make it more business friendly, and diversify the economy.

A consistently generous supporter of the University of Chicago and Chicago Booth, Alper has served as a University Trustee, a member of the Council on Chicago Booth, co-chair of the Chicago Booth Campaign, and chairman of the university's development committee.