Staff

James Dower

Founder and Executive Director

Jim oversees the day-to-day operations of Urban Initiatives and takes the lead on program development. He dedicates his time to overseeing Urban Initiatives’ programming at each of our school sites. He maintains close contact with administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Jim is also in his eighth year as a professional soccer coach for the Wilmette Wings Soccer Club and previously worked as a substitute teacher for Chicago Public Schools. Jim graduated from the University of Iowa, where he received a B.A. in Political Science.

Jim founded Urban Initiatives in order to enhance youth development through a sports-based initiative. He is the son of a Chicago Public School teacher and attended Franklin School, a public fine-arts magnet school on the Near North Side. From his personal experience playing soccer and watching other kids develop through extracurricular interests, Jim was inspired to start Urban Initiatives to tie participation in an organized soccer program to classroom engagement because he understood the impact that safe, structured activities can have on children’s overall success.

Daniel Isherwood

Founder and Executive Director

Dan oversees the day-to-day operations of Urban Initiatives and takes the lead on administration. He dedicates his time to managing Urban Initiatives’ operations and development. He also serves as the On-Site Program Director at Jenner Academy overseeing the Work to Play Program. Dan is also in his eighth year as a professional soccer coach for the Wilmette Wings Soccer Club and previously worked as a substitute teacher for Chicago Public Schools. Dan graduated from the University of Iowa, where he received a B.S. in Business Administration. Dan also works very closely with the Boys Hope Girls Hope organization and serves as a member of their Junior Board.

Connie Devers Falcone

Director of Finance and Development

Connie oversees Urban Initiatives’ finances and identifies funding opportunities. Connie dedicates her time to ensuring financial stability for Urban Initiatives. Previously, Connie served for twelve years as Executive Vice President at Devers Group Inc., where she co-founded the firm’s private equity investment practice. An attorney, Connie practiced for three years at a Denver law firm. She holds a B.A. from Colorado College, a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School, and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Connie also serves on the boards of several Chicago area non-profits, including the Peacebuilders Advisory Board at the Catholic Theological Union, the Board of Trustees of LaLumiere School in LaPorte, Indiana, and the Advisory Board of the Rush Neurobehavioral Center.

Julie Chelovich

Assistant Director of Development and Program Evaluation

Julie dedicates her time to evaluation and development. Previously Julie worked for seven years at Black River Farm and Ranch, an all-girls horseback riding summer camp in Michigan, and served as the Program Director. She also coordinated a community service project, called Fast Food Facts, geared toward teaching lessons about living an active and healthy lifestyle to elementary school students in Rhode Island. She graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Political Science.

Amber Doctor

Office Manager

Amber oversees the administrative concerns and office management of Urban Initiatives. She dedicates her time to ensuring that Urban Initiatives is operating under best practices. Previously, Amber spent three and a half years as the Assistant Director of Chicago Booth's Becker Center on Chicago Price Theory developing their programs, finances, and administrative practices. She has worked extensively with youth organization such as serving as a teaching assistant in the Chicago Public Schools, volunteering in various roles for 4-H, and directing an art program for a youth summer camp. Amber graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Economics.

Brian Billings

Coaches Corps Program Director

Brian Billings dedicates his time to help establish the Urban Initiatives Coaches Corps curriculum and continues to be involved as director of the program. Brian was introduced to Urban Initiatives as the gym teacher at the now closed Byrd School several years ago when the health and education soccer program began.  He continued to support Urban Initiatives as the Assistant Principle at Schiller School.  In addition to helping Urban Initiatives with the Coaches Corps, Brian is also the Athletic Director at Johnson School.  He holds a Masters in Education from DePaul University, a B.A. of Science from Northern Michigan University and has 14 years of coaching experience. 

Edward Blake

Artistic Director

Ed oversees all artistic direction for Urban Initiatives.  He has creative control of marketing materials, invitations, and website design.

Caron Grantham and Patrick Smith

Program Associates

Caron and Pat support the Urban Initiatives program at each of our school sites. Caron focuses on  delivering and pickuping up program materials. Pat focuses on training coaches and attending program sessions at schools that are new to the Urban Initiatives program.

Mike Berger, Erin Daher, Ryan Eggert, Tiffany Fadin, Jose Feliciano, Jay Laughlin, Genoveva Najera, Christian Nze, Gerardo Salinas, Emily Serr, Fernando Sifuentes, Parker Swanson, and Joel Tlachac

On-Site Program Directors

The On-Site Program Directors are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Work to Play Program at participating schools. They take attendance; implement the curriculum; oversee the soccer drills; lead discussions on health/nutrition issues and character development concepts; distribute health education materials; and provide participants with healthy snacks at the end of each session. They also distribute weekly ‘Work to Play’ forms to each participant’s teacher, monitor performance throughout the season, and meet with teachers to discuss progress. The On-Site Program Directors are also responsible for establishing relationships and regular communication with parents regarding their children and program activities, as well as, inviting parents to participate in the program.

Annie Abreu, Jan Afungchwi, Annie Claggett, Jenny Delessio Parson, Kimberly Forbes, Caron Grantham, Hillary Tate Haugen, Shawn Jones, Matthew Levine, Joe Meekins, Ellio Morales, and Suzanna Simons

Assistant Coaches

The Assistant Coaches help to facilitate the Work to Play Program at participating schools.

Lauren Johnson

Community Resource Intern

Lauren is focusing on researching and developing Community Resource Booklets outlinging the resources available for families in each of the communities Urban Initiatives serves.

Peris Castaneda

Marketing Intern

Peris is developing a marketing plan and marketing materials for Urban Initiatives to use in our development efforts.