our team

Meet

A woman with glasses and reddish-brown hair smiling in a black turtleneck sweater with beige and black horizontal stripes.

Connie Spreen

CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

A man with dreadlocks wearing a blue plaid shirt standing outdoors in front of a lush green ivy-covered wall.

Corey Chatman

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

A smiling African American woman with black wavy hair, wearing a white and navy striped shirt, standing in front of a brick wall.

Tuesday Smith

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER

A smiling young man with glasses, wearing an orange Carhartt t-shirt, standing outdoors with green blurred trees in the background.

Alex Valladares

BLACKSTONE BICYCLE WORKS

PROGRAM MANAGER, CYCLING SERVICES & ADVOCACY

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Bruce Winston

BLACKSTONE BICYCLE WORKS

PROGRAM MANAGER, YOUTH EXPERIENCE

A woman with long brown hair and a bright smile standing outdoors in front of a wall covered with green and purple ivy.

Emily Cross

61ST STREET FARMERS MARKET

SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER

A smiling woman with sunglasses on her head, wearing a black shirt and a blue denim jacket, standing outdoors with colorful tents and trees in the background.

Joy Joshua

61ST STREET FARMERS MARKET

PROGRAM ASSISTANT

A man with a beard smiling at an outdoor farmers market, wearing a green t-shirt and beige cap, with red and blue tents in the background.

Adam Stern

61ST STREET FARMERS MARKET

MARKET ASSISTANT

A woman with short, styled hair wearing a black shirt, olive green overalls, and a black smartwatch, standing outdoors against a background of a brick wall covered in green and purple ivy.

Kelly Jones

61ST STREET FARMERS MARKET

HEAD GARDENER

A smiling man with glasses, a dark beard and mustache, wearing a checkered shirt and a black vest, standing outdoors in front of a brick wall covered with green and yellow ivy.

Matthew Ruffi

LINK UP ILLINOIS

SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER

A woman with short, curly brown hair and glasses, smiling, standing outdoors in front of a brick wall with some greenery.

Kate Gurke

LINK UP ILLINOIS

PROGRAM MANAGER

A woman with dark curly hair, wearing a yellow blazer and black top, smiling outdoors with a brick wall in the background.

Raja Baptiste

LINK UP ILLINOIS

RETAIL PROGRAM MANAGER

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Allison Baldwin

LINK UP ILLINOIS

PROGRAM ASSOCIATE

A man with glasses and a baseball cap smiling and waving, sitting at a table with a pen and notebook in front, in front of a white vehicle.

Jonathan Hancock

CITY EBT ADMINISTRATOR

Smiling man wearing sunglasses, a black cap, a black shirt, and a yellow safety vest standing outdoors in an urban area with buildings and people in the background.

William Franklin

CITY EBT ONSITE MANAGER

A woman with brown hair smiling, wearing a bright pink blazer and layered gold necklaces, standing in front of a red-painted wire fence with graffiti-style artwork in the background.

Christina Smit

SENIOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

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Merril Chesser

MANAGER, DONOR DATA AND GRANT WRITER

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Ying Tzarm

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Board of Directors

President

Former Vice President and General Counsel, Dearborn Wholesale Grocer
Director, Renaissance Society

Marty Friedman

Director

Creative entrepreneur, owner of aplomb enterprises

Michelle Merritt

Jamie Kalven

Director

Founding Executive Director, Invisible Institute

Co-Founder & Director

Artist, Associate Professor of Art (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Former Board President

Dan Peterman

Mulubwa Munkanta

Treasurer

Director, Financial Planning and Analysis, SRAM Corporation

Vice President

Attorney at Law

Beth Loeb

Director

Southwest Airlines

Corliss King

Director

Principal, Wright

Richard Wright

Director

Architect, Principal, Studio Gang

Steve Wiesenthal

Secretary

Senior Advisor, Peterson Rudgers Group

Sonya Malunda