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About

Our People

  • Staff
  • Board of Directors

Executive Director

Jane K.

Jane K.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Executive Director

  • Pronoun

    She / Her / Hers

  • Email

    jane@crossroadsfund.org

About

Jane K. is committed to strengthening and supporting social movements through grantmaking, capacity building, leadership development, donor organizing and philanthropic collaboratives that advance justice.  Jane was born and raised in Kenya. She has extensive experience and deep knowledge of international community development, nonprofit leadership and community organizing. She is a passionate advocate for justice and the self-determination of individuals and communities.

Prior to joining Crossroads Fund, Jane worked at Chicago Foundation for Women and Loyola University Chicago.  She has served on several local, national and international boards and advisory committees which include: The International Cultural and Youth Exchange, The Funding Exchange, Ravenswood Health Care Foundation and the Giving Project National. Jane holds two Master’s Degrees in Organizational Development and Human Resources and a Certificate in Advanced Study in Philanthropy & Non-Profit Sector from Loyola University Chicago.

Program Director

Michael A.

Michael A.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Program Director

  • Pronoun

    He / They

  • Email

    michael@crossroadsfund.org

About

Michael A. is an attorney and community organizer. He is passionate about supporting grassroots movement building and activism in Chicago. Michael earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center.

Program Manager

Nouha B.

Nouha B.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Program Manager

  • Pronoun

    She / Her

  • Email

    nouha@crossroadsfund.org

About

Nouha B. is an anti-surveillance organizer and community weaver dedicated to cultivating healthy and community centered grassroots organizing. As a graduate of Northwestern University and Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, Nouha has investigated the intersections of race and health and how social determinants of health, colonialism, and structural violence impact the health and freedoms of communities of color. Since 2021, Nouha has been a National Lead with Believer’s Bail Out, a community-led bail fund freeing Muslims from pre-trial & immigration incarceration, and believes deeply in reimagining and building a world that prioritizes health, healing, and liberation for all. Nouha joins Crossroads Fund after years of managing public health research projects, leading community-based art interventions, and consulting for human rights nonprofits and community organizations. Nouha brings her knowledge as a participant in the 2022-2023 Giving Project, 2023-2024 Cultivate Women of Color Leadership cohort, and years as a Crossroads Seed Fund grantee. As a granddaughter of Algerian revolutionaries, daughter of survivors of the Algerian War for Independence, and lifelong resident of ‘Little Palestine’, her commitment to movements for liberation and freedom is deeply rooted and unwavering.

Development & Communications Director

Emmanuel G.

Emmanuel G.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Development & Communications Director

  • Pronoun

    He / Him / They

  • Email

    emmanuel@crossroadsfund.org

About

Emmanuel G. is a community organizer and founder of Vives Q, a public program for and by the Latinx LGBTQ community in Chicago. Garcia’s started fundraising as a youth when he co-founded the Association of Latinos/as Motivating  Action (ALMA) Scholarship; an award that is given annually to two Latinx LGBTQ youth. Before joining the staff at Crossroads Fund, he led a social marketing campaign in Cicero, IL that addressed homophobia, transphobia, and HIV/AIDS stigma within the Latinx community. Emmanuel is a former Lisa Fittko intern and board of directors at Crossroads Fund.

Program Director

Lizette G.

Lizette G.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Program Director

  • Pronoun

    She / Her / Hers

  • Email

    lizette@crossroadsfund.org

About

Lizette G. is a Pilsen native with a background in youth development, nonprofit management and arts education. She aims to connect people to meaningful resources and bridge communities through programming and cultural events. Previously, Lizette worked at After School Matters as a Program Specialist and ElevArte Community Studio as a Teaching Artist for a Hip Hop education program. In addition, she was a 2017 Giving Project participant at Crossroads Fund.

Development Manager

Katie M.

Katie M.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Development Manager

  • Pronoun

    She / Her / Hers

  • Email

    katie@crossroadsfund.org

About

Katie M. joined Crossroads Fund in October 2016 after a two-year break from work to finish her undergraduate degree at DePaul University. Previously she spent 13 years in the Office of Philanthropy at Rush University Medical Center; and was Associate Director of donor relations. Katie is a founding member of Friends of Thorp, a parent-run not-for-profit at O. A. Thorp Scholastic Academy and she served as president for two years. She is currently on the board of Power Packs.

Program Manager

Joanna P.

Joanna P.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Program Manager

  • Pronoun

    They / She

  • Email

    joanna@crossroadsfund.org

About

Joanna P., Program Associate, is a writer, artist, and southside Chicago native.  Since moving back to their hometown, they have worked in the nonprofit sector and volunteered with various groups around the city, giving them a firsthand account of the importance of grassroots community organizing and the obstacles these groups must work through.  In their creative work, they are dedicated to creating safe spaces for communal healing and uplifting the voices of marginalized folks.

Operations Director

Kristina R.

Kristina R.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Operations Director

  • Pronoun

    She / Her / Ella

  • Email

    kristina@crossroadsfund.org

About

Kristina R. dedicated the last 13 years to being a volunteer in the Chicago Public School system. She has made a profound impact in CPS by serving on the Local School Council for 6 years and is a founding Board member of a non-for-profit Parents & Teachers Organization. An advocate for both the Fine Arts and Dual Language Programs, her efforts have increased parent involvement in schools, raised funds to provide teacher grants and improved communication among parents, teachers and administration.

Finance Manager

Makiko Y.

Makiko Y.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Finance Manager

  • Pronoun

    She / Her / Hers

  • Email

    makiko@crossroadsfund.org

About

Makiko Y.,Finance Manager, spent many years in various finance and leadership roles with GE Healthcare and other multinational corporations, and is excited to bring her experiences in financial analysis and budgeting to Crossroads Fund. Outside of work, she volunteers with art and literature organizations in Chicago, including Old Town School of Folk Music, Steppenwolf and Story Luck. A native of Tokyo, she holds a Bachelor of Arts from Japan and an MBA from the US, and now calls Chicago home.

Communications Manager

Alexis S.

Alexis S.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Communications Manager

  • Pronoun

    He / Him / His

  • Email

    alexis@crossroadsfund.org

About

Alexis S. is a visual creative that likes experimenting with photography, videography, and art. His past experiences include working at Instituto del Progreso Latino, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Mexican Consulate in Chicago. At the moment he is taking a break from his studies but seeks to pursue a degree in Photo Journalism. He is interested in government accountability, immigration and economic, justice. He was the 2019 Lisa Fittko Intern at Crossroads Fund.

Board Co-Chair

Makkah A.

Makkah A.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Co-Chair

About

Makkah A. is the Vice President of Operations and Finance at Harness, a national nonprofit organization focused on bringing together activists, artists, and leaders to amplify stories that enable us to imagine a more just future.

For nearly 15 years, Makkah has helped create the conditions for teams to effectively execute their missions while also centering care, connectivity, and radical compassion and curiosity in how they operate. Makkah has worked to unlock resources for chronically underfunded communities and transform organizations from the inside out to more equitably and joyfully meet the needs of the people they serve. Prior to joining Harness, she held various leadership roles at the intersection of racial equity, social justice, and strategic philanthropy.

Makkah received her Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Justice Studies from Wellesley College and a Master’s of Science in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University. Makkah also works as a liberatory coach, trained through Rockwood Institute’s Coaching for Healing, Justice, and Liberation program. For five years, she co-hosted the critically acclaimed Identity Politics Podcast which featured new stories and perspectives on race, gender, and Muslim life in America.

Makkah is a South Side resident and enthusiast, and can often be found running, swimming, or reading along the shores of Lake Michigan with her partner and toddler. She is a proud alum of the 2019 Giving Project.

Board Member

Missy C.

Missy C.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Missy C. is a native of Northern California. She is now a proud Chicagoan (14+ years) and lives on the northwest side with her partner and two energetic kids. Missy is self-employed as a consultant, working in public education advocacy, parent/youth/teacher/labor organizing, public health, and early childhood. She gets energized about building the progressive IPO in her Ward; growing community among friends, neighbors, and schools in her neighborhood; and dancing with her kids in the kitchen.

Board Member

Cecile D.

Cecile D.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Cecile D. is a community organizer, community developer, and policy maker working to uplift communities on the South and West side of Chicago. Currently the Executive Director of Teamwork Englewood, previously Cecile was Co-Executive Director of Blocks Together for 10 years, a Crossroads Fund grantee. She is also currently serving as the acting Englewood Quality of Life Plan Project Manager at Teamwork Englewood. She holds a Masters in Not for Profit Management and a Masters in Urban Planning and Policy from UIC.

Treasurer

Lee A. D.

Lee A. D.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Treasurer

About

Lee A. D. (they/them) provides sliding-scale-to-free accounting, bookkeeping, and consultation services under their business, LADhoc Accounting. They are an organizer, activist, and advocate for the trans/gender nonconforming, queer, and HIV+ communities, all of which they are a part, laboring in collaboration and support of those which they are not. Their activism is focused upon anti-racism, anti-bigotry, the abolition of the police, prisons, and related systems of oppression, and towards effecting positive radical change. Lee is the Lead Organizer/Facilitator for CommunityCave Chicago, the Treasurer of the Board for Upswing Advocates, and a Community Advisory Board Member for AIDS Foundation Chicago. They are a passionate, year round commuter cyclist, a fair weather artist, enamoured with the outdoors, and always in search of their next dance floor.

Board Member

Hanan E.

Hanan E.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Hanan E. is a multi-cultural polyglot with 15+ years of international experience in strategic programming, relationship management, and governance. She has a background in not-for-profits, economic development, member associations, and co-operatives and has served in diverse civil society organizations. She is passionate about co-operatives as engines of self-determined economic development, worker and labor rights, and refugee and immigrant issues. Hanan earned a BA from Bryn Mawr College (magna cum laude) and an MSc from the University of Pavia (Italy). She speaks English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.

Board Member

Sharlyn G.

Sharlyn G.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Sharlyn G. (she/her) is the Senior Policy Advisor at the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender. She was a founding member of Chicago Community Bond Fund in 2014 and served as CCBF’s first Executive Director until January 2021. Before joining CCBF full-time in 2018, she was the Senior Criminal Justice Policy Analyst at Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. In those roles, Sharlyn was part of launching and helping lead the Coalition to End Money Bond in 2016 and the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice in 2019. In 2021, their joint five-year-long, statewide legislative campaign culminated in the passage of the Pretrial Fairness Act, which made Illinois the first state to completely eliminate money bail.

 

Sharlyn also co-teaches a class on prison industrial complex abolition at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She has previously managed a school-based restorative justice program in Back of the Yards and coordinated the Juvenile Expungement Help Desk at the Cook County Juvenile Center. She has been a supporter of grassroots social movements in Chicago since moving here from rural central Missouri in 2004. Sharlyn received her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law and is an Illinois licensed attorney.

Board Member

Alhelí M. H.

Alhelí M. H.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Alhelí M. H. has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 15 years in statewide and local community-based organizations, coalitions, and service organizations. She is passionate about protecting human rights and advancing social justice. She has dedicated part of her career working with youth, adults, and allies, advocating for the reform of immigration laws for humane and just legalization.

Board Member

Katelyn J.

Katelyn J.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Katelyn J. is Executive Director of Blackroots Alliance and has nearly two decades of valuable outreach experience including leadership development, civic engagement, and community organizing. She is a graduate of North Park University and participated in community organizing initiatives on and off-campus, focusing on racial reconciliation and student leadership development. Katelyn has overseen a range of social justice initiatives in and around Chicago, including six years as the executive director of Action Now, a community-based organization focused on engaging low-income communities of color. Katelyn’s work has informed and organized campaigns related to affordable housing, public education reform, public safety, criminal justice reform, and drug policy reform. Katelyn has also completed academic studies in Diversity and Inclusion at Cornell University, furthering her commitment to build a system that works for everyone. When she is not out working towards justice, she is practicing her own Black liberation which includes lots of meditation, riding her bike along Lake Michigan from her neighborhood in South Shore and playing video games.

Board Member

Gabriel J.

Gabriel J.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Gabriel J. is an Associate Director at the Chicago Frontlines Funding Initiative (CFFI). Gabriel manages the grant making process for CFFI’s Chicago Environmental Justice Fund, which aims to build the capacity and power of grassroots environmental justice organizations in Chicago to elevate environmental justice priorities and city-wide policies. He also engages donors through a working committee and helps to advance the work of the Chicago Environmental Justice Network. Gabriel received a BA in Anthropology from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a dual MS/MUP in Environmental Justice and Land Use and Environmental Planning from the University of Michigan.

Board Member

Skyler L.

Skyler L.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Skyler L. has 12+ years of leadership experience in policy, non-profit management, strategic planning, community organizing, and advocacy for a more caring and just city. Skyler works as the Senior Director of Community Advocacy and Government Affairs with the Greater Chicago Food Depository where she centers and amplifies the voices of food insecure neighbors and communities in advocacy, and builds policy partnerships to address the root causes of hunger, poverty, and racial inequity.

From 2021-2023 Skyler served as the City of Chicago’s Chief of Policy and First Deputy Director of Policy where she led a team to advance citywide policy with a commitment to racial and gender equity in process and outcome. Skyler championed innovative policies and investments on guaranteed income, worker protections, participatory citywide planning, fines & fees reform, support for returning residents, and more.

Skyler’s prior roles included Director of Operations and Strategy at the Metropolitan Planning Council, an urban planning and policy change nonprofit in Chicago, Local Organizer with Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI) organizing with parents at CPS and City Colleges schools, and Field Organizer with Elevate advancing energy affordability. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Geography with a concentration in Urban Studies from Macalester College.

Skyler was a Crossroads Fund Giving Project member in 2017 and has served as a Crossroads Fund host committee member since 2018. Previously, she was Co-Director and Board Member of the New Leaders Council Chicago Chapter from 2019-2022 after her selection as a 2019 fellow. She is a lifelong Chicagoan, lover of facilitation, gatherings and art of all kinds, and she lives in Ukrainian Village with her husband Felipe and two cats (Jack and Sally).

Board Member

Chandra P.

Chandra P.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Chandra P.’s international development background led her to the field of philanthropy, where she has honed her skills in grant-making, program management, and the design and implementation of equitable grant-making practices and processes. From 2022 to 2024, she spearheaded initiatives at the MacArthur Foundation that enhanced their equitable grant-making practices and improved the grant user experience.

Before her time at the MacArthur Foundation, Chandra spent nearly eight years at Rotary International, where she designed grant programs, evaluated grant applications, and educated members on the program requirements. Her dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion is evident in her key role in co-founding a staff affinity group dedicated to supporting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the workplace.

In 2019, she participated in the Giving Project, a transformative experience that deepened her commitment to racial equity, gender equity, and criminal justice reform. In her free time, Chandra enjoys gaming, crafting, and expressing herself through dance.

Board Member

Erwin S.

Erwin S.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Erwin S. (he/el/they) is a lifelong learner who seeks to empower others to act. He uses his skills to advocate for Latinx, immigrant, Trans and LGBQ+ folks and support organizations providing services to these communities. Erwin is the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at AIDS Foundation Chicago. Previously, Erwin worked in Seattle, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Philadelphia in direct service, organizing and advocacy, and funding various issues, including youth housing, workforce development, and LGBTQ+ liberation.

Board Member

Muhammad S.

Muhammad S.

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Muhammad S. the child of Arab immigrants from Lebanon, is the current Lead Organizer at the Arab American Action Network where he has worked since 2010. Currently he helps guide the youth-led campaign to End Racial Profiling which focuses on combatting specific tools that law enforcement uses to surveil, entrap, and oppress memebers of the Arab & Muslim communities of the Chicagoland area.

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o 773.227.7676

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o 773.227.7676