• • Jim Dower, Co-Founder & Executive Director, President

    Jim graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Political Science. He started his professional career as a substitute teacher at Cabrini-Green’s Byrd Academy, where the inspiration for Urban Initiatives began. Jim serves on the Governor’s Council on Health and Physical Fitness and is a member of Leadership Greater Chicago’s 2014 class. He is in his eleventh year as a professional soccer coach for the Wilmette Wings Soccer Club. Jim oversees the day-to-day external operations of Urban Initiatives.

  • Julie Chelovich, Managing Director, Vice President

    Julie graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Political Science and has a Kellogg Executive Scholar Certificate in Nonprofit Management. She played many sports growing up and has always had an interest in youth development and health education. Previously Julie worked at Black River Farm and Ranch where she served as the Program Director. After volunteering at Urban Initiatives as an Assistant Coach, she knew she had found a great organization for which to put her professional skills to work. Julie oversees day-to-day internal operations of Urban Initiatives.

  • Joy Nelson, Chief People Officer

    A Chicago native, Joy graduated from UIC with a Master’s in Education, focusing on Youth Development. After working as a Program Manager at Urban Initiatives for 2 years, she was promoted into the role of Play with Potential Program Director, overseeing recess at 24 local schools. In 2017, she took an opportunity to work with the National YMCA and spent a year and half traveling the Midwest and West Coast, supporting out of school time programming in underserved communities. She returned to Urban Initiatives in 2019 as the Culture and Climate Director and oversaw the day to day operations of our Play with Potential and Community School’s Initiative programs. She will begin her doctorate in Educational Leadership at DePaul in the fall of 2019. Joy is fun-loving supermom with a knack for connecting to people, children, and all things under the sun.

  • Paul Boye, Chief Innovation Officer

    As Chief Innovation Officer, Paul Boye provides strategic leadership and planning in collaboration with senior leaders, staff, board members, and advisors to oversee UI’s fulfillment of its vision, mission, and strategic plan, fostering of values, and management of internal and external operations. Since earning his B.A. from Northwestern University, Paul has dedicated his professional career to improving outcomes for young people, including as a teacher, nonprofit professional and executive leader, and school district administrator. Beyond UI, Paul enjoys time with his amazing wife, Christine, and their three daughters on the South Side.

  • Kimberly Townsend, Chief Program Officer

    Kim Townsend is a Chicago native who has lived all over the US and the world. Kim’s educational background is in political Science, Peace and Justice, International Relations and Human Development. Kim has spent 22 years working in the Youth Development and Education field and is passionate about improving the human experience and ensuring equal access to resources for everyone. As Chief Program Officer Kim provides strategic leadership and planning for UI’s programs, day-to-day oversight and coordination of the Program Departments as well as assist in planning and implementation of special events and programs.

  • Amber Neal, Lead Director of System Design

    Amber Neal (she/her/hers), born and raised in Chicago and grew up in Marquette Park, received her B.A in Child and Youth Development from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. After being exposed and realizing at an early age the inequities many low-income Black and Brown communities face across Chicago, she knows her life’s purpose is to uplift, work alongside with, and give back to the communities that raised her. She is extremely dedicated and passionate about child and youth development, community engagement, and partnerships and one day hopes to have her own non-profit! After years of philanthropic work, working within the nonprofit sector and Chicago Public Schools, she is excited to step back into the sector and be leading UI’s strategic partnerships across the city to continue creating positive and fun spaces for children and youth! While not being involved in communities, you can find Amber spending time with family, crafting with her Cricut machine, at the gym, or playing with her fur babies!

  Andrew Neilsen, Lead Director of Learning

  Andy is a coach at heart. Beginning his youth development career in Chicago as a nature camp counselor, Andy has worked in affordable housing, after school programming, and lots and lots of coach training. Excited to be returning to Urban Initiatives after five years working in local and national youth development organizations, Andy focuses on creating transformative learning opportunities for internal and external partners.

• Ruby Dajani, Director of Learning

  Ruby has been in education for the past 8 years teaching Spanish and Physical Education. She was also the head Track and Field coach. She is currently completing her Master’s at NEIU in Higher Educational Leadership through a fantastic program designed to prepare leadership that will create change responsive to the educational needs of Latinx students and an increasingly diverse college student population. Some of her interests include restorative practices, social justice, trauma-informed teaching, self-care, and collaborating with stakeholders to create change.

• Miki Grace, Director of Innovation

  Miki L. Grace is a business innovator, equity designer, and advocate for creative expression as a form of healing. Here at Urban Initiatives, Miki leverages her skills and experience in equity-based design and business innovation to provide organizational leadership, improve team effectiveness, and lead strategic design initiatives from end to end. When she’s not hard at work, Miki loves to engage in thought-provoking conversations, travel, write, vlog, explore new music, film, fashion, and the possibilities that lie within all kinds of new ideas.

Arianna Bell, Program Director – Out of School Time

Arianna earned a B.S in Community Leadership & Civic Engagement from the Northern Illinois University. She attended Howe Elementary one of the many CPS schools we serve throughout the Chicagoland area. She owes many of her successes to her ability to access extracurricular activities at a young age.

Tiffany Wilson-Washington, Program Director – Community Schools Initiative

Tiffany Washington is an experienced people leader who’s passionate about growth and development. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Illinois @ Champaign, and spent the last decade of her career building and leading high performance teams at Kaplan University. Tiffany is from the Austin neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago and is proud to be contributing to the community through her work as the Director of 21st Century Learning 

Nicole Meunier, Director of Special Events

Nicole graduated from Oakland University with a Bachelor of Integrated Studies concentrations in Music – Vocal Performance and Communication, from Oakland University. A Detroit native, Nicole has held positions within nonprofit Development teams for over a decade in Chicago and Detroit. Nicole also enjoys volunteering with local government to help build commerce and community. During her time in Detroit, she was honored to hold several positions of leadership that were crucial to Detroit’s current renaissance.In her free time, Nicole enjoys traveling, cooking and exploring everything Chicago has to offer.

Linda Galib, Director of Research and Evaluation

Originally from Rhode Island, Linda holds a B.S. in Exercise Science from Ithaca College, and an M.P.P and M.P.H. with a focus in health behavior and health education from the University of Michigan. Prior to UI, she conducted federal health program and policy evaluation, volunteered for a child and family services agency in Chicago, and interned in Quito, Ecuador, where she worked to empower youth using PhotoVoice. Her love of sport AND data stem from her childhood, as she played soccer through high school and softball into college, and grew up eagerly programming her grandfather’s computer in Basic (for example, to make the screen color change)! Linda manages program evaluation for Urban Initiatives.

April Lillstrom, Director of Program Administration

April started working with Urban Initiatives as the Healthy Places Program Coordinator in Fall of 2011. April believes that play should be part of every school day for all students (and even staff!), so she works with the UI program team and school administrators to help make that easy. April holds a BA in English from University of Illinois in Champaign and an M.Ed from UIC. She is also a licensed School Counselor. April is grateful for all the years of work with and all the different schools she’s been able to visit.

Liz Rodriguez, Lead Manager of Talent Acquisition

Liz Rodriguez was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. She is currently attending UIC and pursuing her BA in Public Policy with a minor in Nonprofit Management. She has a strong passion in after school programs, which she was a part of while attending CPS. Prior to joining Urban Initiatives, Liz was a Program Manager for a Nonprofit organization and was fulfilled with the impact that she was making to her childhood community and is passionate about Nonprofit work. Liz will be the Manager of Talent Acquisition and excited to welcome others to the Nonprofit world.

Gina Laguzza, Lead Manager of Employee Engagement and Retention

Gina Laguzza was an actor for 17 years, previously taught ESL and theatre to children, and around seven years ago, started honing in on talent development and employee engagement. She is passionate about coaching people in her work and personal life to reach their potential and achieve their dreams. She can think of no better way than to spend her time supporting our inspiring staff in fulfilling Urban Initiative’s mission to empower Chicago’s youth to become community leaders!

Amy Buscemi, Lead Manager of Board Engagement

Amy Buscemi is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University with a degree in Communications and Media. Her past includes managing a non-profit radio station and a small start-up business of which she was the first employee. Amy has volunteered for various Chicago organizations and is excited to be back on the other end of the spectrum as Urban Initiatives’ Lead Manager of Board Engagement. When not working or volunteering, Amy’s favorite activities include cycling and attending live music events.

Adrians Cleveland, Lead Manager of Individual Giving and Campaign

Adrians is an Indianapolis, IN native. She graduated from Butler University with a B.A. in Journalism. Prior to joining the UI team, she worked for Sigma Nursing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors with her pup, Monte.

Rebecca Daaleman, Lead Manager of Data

Rebecca grew up in New Jersey and graduated from University of Michigan with a B.A. in Psychology. Prior to her time at Urban Initiatives, she served as an AmeriCorps Member and a Team Leader at City Year Chicago.

Andrea Serna, Lead Manager of Data

Andrea received her B.A. in Psychology from Concordia University Chicago, and for the past 6 years has worked with south and west side communities to support families experiencing homelessness. As a sports and wellness enthusiast, she looks forward to using her data and nonprofit skills with Urban Initiatives.

Aziz Tahir, Lead Program Manager of Soccer – Out of School Time

Aziz Tahir is originally from Ethiopia but spent most of his childhood years in Minnesota. He graduated in December 2019 from Western Illinois University with a master’s in Sports Management and moved to Chicago to start his career in 2020. He started coaching soccer right after graduating from high school because it’s a great way to be involved in the sport and positively impact the confidence, health, and well-being of young people.

Annie Waldoch, Lead Program Manager of Soccer – Out of School Time

Annie grew up in a soccer-mad house with her five brothers in the west suburbs. After graduating from Michigan State, she worked with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic for over two years teaching Spanish literacy and building a community basketball court. Now, she loves biking to schools all around the city to see the coaches she manages in action. The best part of her work day is hearing the kids yell “GOOOAAAALLLL” at practice.

Robin Taylor, Program Manager of Soccer – Out of School Time

Robin was born and raised on the South side of Chicago. She was a very active participant in many after school programs throughout her childhood which led to the importance of being an advocate for youth programming in the Chicago-land area to become leaders in their own community. Throughout the past 8 years she has been in leadership positions for communities, schools, and non-profit organizations ranging from youth sports, empowerment, leadership, mentorship, and workforce development. Robin’s passion and goal is to give every child the opportunity that they can to overcome the systemic barriers preventing them from equitably access on becoming a leader in their own community.

Ebony Stallworth, Program Manager – Recess

Ebony graduated from North Central College in Naperville with a Bachelors in Exercise Science. She was a 6x National Qualifier in Shot Put and a 4x All-American in Shot Put. After undergrad she began a career in coaching Track & Field at Lincoln Way East H.S. and then later a coach at St. Laurence H.S. In addition to coaching, she continued to further her education at St. Thomas University in Miami, Fl., where she earned two master degrees- Master of Science in Educational Leadership & Sports Administration. Along with coaching, Ebony is a part of a nutrition club where promoting healthy treats and consistent routines is beneficial to help improve one’s physical & mental confidence. Ebony’s passion and goal in life is to become an Athletic director and continue coaching youth/young adults not only in a track & field setting but in other sports as well.

Lakita Chandler, Program Manager – Recess

Lakita Chandler is a mom of 3 intelligent, beautiful young ladies. Her passion and joy for working with youth goes back to her childhood when she was always the teacher or mom. She’s been a volunteer and cheer coach with CPS for 6 years. She is so excited to be apart of the UI team and to continue to fulfill her passion of empowering our youth.

KyJuan Hardin, Vendor Manager – Community Schools Initiative

Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, KyJuan attended Kenwood Academy and immediately began working with youth sports programs after graduating. He believes that sports play an essential role in both physical and emotional development- sport has been a safe haven in his own life. He started with Urban Initiatives in 2016 and has continued his growth and development by taking on new roles. He is now excited for his new role as a leader for the CSI team.

Daniel Serna Geitz, Lead Program Manager – Continuum

Daniel played soccer and water polo while studying Sociology at Carnegie Mellon University. After college he worked in Family and Community Engagement for Denver Public Schools, where his passion for school support and community outreach flourished. He is excited to bring his interests together to serve Chicago students and families!

Jackson Boleky, Program Manager – Continuum

Jackson first attended Loyola and then graduated from Tulane with a degree in International nonprofit management and Economics. Prior to his time at Urban Initiatives, he worked in Argentina and worked with the Catholic Charities of Chicago. Jackson is now excited for his new role as take the lead program manager.

Mia Jackson, Program Manager – Continuum

Born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, Mia spent her first two years at Spelman College in Atlanta, Ga and later returned home to complete her B.A. in Sociology at Roosevelt University. There she was able to continue developing a strong passion for art, social justice, educational reform and activism. Being a first generation graduate only fueled Mia’s passion to become more involved in her community.  She understands how important it is to bridge fun, equitable and quality opportunities for marginalized youth, and is a strong believer in community pride and support. More so, Mia believes the biggest opportunity as leaders is the need to work on giving one another, especially our youth, spaces to develop personal autonomies in a safe and non- judgmental environment. 

Christina Valencia, Program Manager – Continuum

Christina was born and raised in the Southwest side of Chicago. She was a very active participant in many after school programs throughout her childhood which led to the importance of being an advocate for youth programming in the Chicago-land area. Throughout the past 8 years she has been in leadership positions for communities, schools, and non-profit organizations ranging from youth sports, empowerment, leadership, and workforce development. She is now a Manager for the CFS program at UI leading 11-12th graders throughout their high school and college pathways.

Danszale Lahmon, Program Manager – Continuum

Danszale (kind of like Denzel Washington but different!) is a Chicago native. She is passionate about youth work and developing ways to allow youth to grow and thrive in their own lives. She is high-energy and loves to laugh and talk. She is a magna cum laude student, receiving her bachelor’s in Sociology and Anthropology with a minor in African/African American studies. She is currently on the journey to completing her master’s in Urban youth development and inner city studies. She enjoys sunsets and dislikes the color gray.

Adrianna Barnett, Program Manager – Innovation

Adrianna grew up in Jacksonville, FL and moved to Chicago in 2016 to study sociology. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, riding her bike, and hiking, so she knows the importance of spreading healthy habits to Chicago’s young people.

• Alec Josiah, Community Design Manager – Innovation

  Originally from Orlando, Florida, Alec moved to Chicago in 2017 after receiving his BA in Communications and Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He then became a teacher here in Chicago and taught PreK and received a MS in Early Childhood Education from the Erikson Institute. Outside of work, Alec loves dancing and playing volleyball.

  • Olivia Ravenscroft, Operations Manager

    Born and raised in Madison, WI, Olivia came to Chicago in 2016 to attend DePaul University. She started at Urban Initiatives in October of 2020 as an AmeriCorps VISTA HR Associate. After completing her service term, she stayed on the team and is now the Operations Manager.