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About

Our People

  • Staff
  • Board of Directors

Executive Director

Jane Kimondo

Jane Kimondo

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Executive Director

  • Pronoun

    She / Her / Hers

  • Email

    jane@crossroadsfund.org

About

Jane Kimondo is committed to strengthening grassroots movements for justice through grantmaking, capacity building, leadership development, donor organizing and overseeing special initiatives, including the development of a social movement evaluation tool. Jane has extensive international and local nonprofit experience in both Chicago and her native country, Kenya. She worked at the Chicago Foundation for Women before joining Crossroads Fund in 2005. She 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 Aguhar

Michael Aguhar

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Program Director

  • Pronoun

    He / Him / His

  • Email

    michael@crossroadsfund.org

About

Michael Aguhar is an attorney and community organizer. He is passionate about supporting immigration justice, workers rights, and queer artists of color in Chicago. Previously, he was the Executive Director of the Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment (AFIRE), a Crossroads Fund grantee. In 2016, Michael worked alongside a coalition of Filipino, Latinx, and Polish workers to pass the Illinois Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, providing for basic labor protections to caregivers, nannies, and housecleaners. 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.

Development & Communications Director

Emmanuel Garcia

Emmanuel Garcia

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Development & Communications Director

  • Pronoun

    He / Him / They

  • Email

    emmanuel@crossroadsfund.org

About

Emmanuel Garcia 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 Manager

Lizette Garza

Lizette Garza

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Program Manager

  • Pronoun

    She / Her / Hers

  • Email

    lizette@crossroadsfund.org

About

Lizette Garza 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 Madden

Katie Madden

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Development Manager

  • Pronoun

    She / Her / Hers

  • Email

    katie@crossroadsfund.org

About

Katie Madden 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.

Operations Director

Kristina Roque

Kristina Roque

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Operations Director

  • Pronoun

    She / Her / Ella

  • Email

    kristina@crossroadsfund.org

About

Kristina Roque 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.

Program Associate

Joanna Preston

Joanna Preston

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Program Associate

  • Pronoun

    They / She

  • Email

    joanna@crossroadsfund.org

About

Joanna Preston, 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.

Finance Manager

Makiko Yamauchi

Makiko Yamauchi

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Finance Manager

  • Pronoun

    She / Her / Hers

  • Email

    makiko@crossroadsfund.org

About

Makiko Yamauchi,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 Associate

Alexis Sanchez Boyzo

Alexis Sanchez Boyzo

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Communications Associate

  • Pronoun

    He / Him / His

  • Email

    alexis@crossroadsfund.org

About

Alexis Sanchez Boyzo 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 Member

Makkah Ali

Makkah Ali

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Makkah Ali is the Senior Director of Equity and Belonging at Arabella Advisors, where she focuses on developing, implementing, and overseeing strategies to continuously improve employee engagement and support ongoing equity and belonging initiatives across Arabella.

For nearly 15 years Makkah has worked to unlock resources for chronically underfunded communities and has transformed institutions from the inside out to enable them to more collaboratively and equitably meet the needs of the people they aim to serve. Prior to joining Arabella, Makkah served as the Director of Racial Equity Initiatives at Borealis Philanthropy, Grants Manager at the El-Hibri Foundation, and as a Mediator and strategy facilitator at the Meridian Institute.

For five years, Makkah 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, a reluctant runner, and a proud alum of the 2019 Giving Project.

Board Member

Mollie Anderson

Mollie Anderson

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Mollie Anderson is an experienced fundraiser with the majority of her career being in major gifts. She has helped advance the missions of the YMCA of Metro Chicago, the ACLU of Illinois, and the University of Chicago. She is currently the Director of Development at Girls on the Run-Chicago. Previously, she was the Chief Development Officer at the Chicago Literacy Alliance. Prior to her fundraising career she very nearly became an academic and holds an MA in Religion and American Politics from Claremont Graduate University and a BA in Religious Studies from San Diego State University. She is an alumnus for the 2018 Giving Project.

Board Member

Emmanuel Andre

Emmanuel Andre

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Emmanuel Andre is the Lead Attorney and Executive Director of Northside Transformative Law Center, and the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Circles & Ciphers. He is a New York native who calls Chicago home. Mr. Andre is an alumni of the UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, and is passionate about creating spaces that acknowledge the lived experiences of a community heavily impacted by institutional violence. Mr. Andre has over 10 years of experience litigating some of the most complex criminal justice cases. As a restorative justice practitioner, Mr. Andre focuses his work on conflict resolution independent of the courts, with a path towards healing.

Board Member

Missy Carpenter

Missy Carpenter

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Missy Carpenter 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

Henry Cervantes

Henry Cervantes

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

  • Email

    Email@email.com

About

Henry Cervantes is an artist, educator, and organizer who focuses on nonviolence and restorative justice and has trained activists from Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America. Currently, Cervantes serves as the Manager for The Peace Exchange, an organization that engages young Chicagoans from the west and south sides in training and trips abroad to study global nonviolence movements. Cervantes is passionate about building African-American and Latino coalitions and reducing youth violence. Cervantes has served on the Docent Council at the DuSable Museum of African American History and leads the Aztec Dance Group Xochil-Quetzal.

Board Member

Cecile DeMello

Cecile DeMello

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Cecile DeMello 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.

Board Member

Lee Andel Dewey

Lee Andel Dewey

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Lee Andel Dewey (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

Denise Ferguson

Denise Ferguson

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Denise Ferguson is an artist, a human rights activist, and skilled public servant with over 36 years of diverse professional experience. Her career is marked with honorable achievement around advocacy for women’s rights, education, health care, housing, and juvenile justice. Her leadership and commitment to sustainable solutions catalyzed the development and implementation of impact-yielding programs across agencies such as the City of Chicago’s Commission on Human Relations, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Public Library, and the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian. Denise is a lifelong resident of Chicago’s west side. Retired since 2011, she now lends her expertise to various organizations as an independent consultant and supports women in developing pathways to economic self-sufficiency. She enjoys time spent with her 5 grandchildren

Board Member

Hanan El-Youssef

Hanan El-Youssef

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Hanan El-Youssef is a multi-cultural polyglot with 14+ 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 served as Director of Strategy for the International Co-operative Alliance from 2013-2017 working to advance their global strategic plan. Currently, she works at the Wikimedia Foundation (the NGO behind the scenes of Wikipedia) as Lead Strategist, Movement Strategy. 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 Co-Chair

Roxana Enriquez

Roxana Enriquez

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Co-Chair

About

Roxana Enriquez Board Co-Chair, is an abolitionist educator. She moved to Chicago after graduating from UCLA and has been teaching since. She has lead middle school social studies classrooms and is committed to creating a social justice curriculum for her students. She was introduced to Crossroads in 2015 and participated in the 2016 Giving Project.

Board Member

Tracie D. Hall

Tracie D. Hall

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Tracie D. Hall is the Director of the Joyce Foundation’s Culture Program. Prior to her appointment at Joyce, Tracie served as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) for the City of Chicago where she oversaw the Arts and Creative Industries Division which included the Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Music Industry, and Farmers Market programs, as well as the Chicago Film Office.

Deeply invested in the intersection of arts access, literacy, youth and economic development, Hall is a poet, fiction writer and playwright. Hall is a Cave Canem fellow and the recipient of various awards and residencies for her writing, creative and community work. Holding degrees from the University of California, Yale University and the University of Washington, Hall was born and mostly raised in South Los Angeles. She is Founding Curator of experimental arts space, Rootwork Gallery and continues to make time to serve on various non-profit boards and committees.

Board Member

Alhelí M. Irizarry

Alhelí M. Irizarry

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Alhelí M. Irizarry 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 Co-Chair

Kheira Issaoui-Mansouri

Kheira Issaoui-Mansouri

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Co-Chair

About

Kheira Issaoui-Mansouri is the founder and principal of Najam Consulting, a justice-driven consultancy that provides strategy, evaluation, research, and facilitation services to foundations and nonprofits across sectors, enabling its clients to be more effective, creative, and bold. Over the course of her career she has worked with dozens of nonprofits and foundations on various issues, including reproductive justice, environmental justice, and mental health. Kheira is the daughter of Moroccan immigrants and identifies as Arab/North African (her roots) and Quebecoise (where she grew up). She enjoys talking about the latest podcast she discovered, making harira soup, and watching whales. She is an alumnus of the 2016 Giving Project.

Board Member

Katelyn Johnson

Katelyn Johnson

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Katelyn Johnson 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 Jones

Gabriel Jones

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Gabriel Jones 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

Julia Klein

Julia Klein

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Julia Klein is an artist, arts educator, and publisher. She runs a small, non-profit publishing company, Soberscove Press, that publishes art books. Julia participated in the 2015 and 2016 Giving Project cohorts.

Treasurer

Jon Quinn

Jon Quinn

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Treasurer

About

Jon Quinn is a Philanthropic Advisor with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors where he works with individual, family, institutional, and corporate donors across the Midwest and around the country. Previously, Jon was Donor Services and Initiatives Manager at the Santa Fe Community Foundation, where he managed the Foundation’s LGBTQ and Native grant programs, oversaw a project that uses crowd-sourced giving to support public school projects, and managed Foundation events and communications. He served on the planning committee for the 2013, 2014, and 2016 conference for Funders for LGBTQ Issues. He serves on the board of Barrel of Monkeys, a Chicago-based arts education organization that develops literacy and writing skills in Chicago Public Schools.

Board Member

Ireri Rivas

Ireri Rivas

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Ireri Rivas is the Program Officer at ECMC Foundation. She has worked on various initiatives related to immigrants and education, particularly undocumented immigrants’ experiences in accessing and preparing for higher education. She holds an M.A. in Literature from The University of Chicago. She was a 2017 Giving Project participant.

Board Member

Muhammad Sankari

Muhammad Sankari

  • Crossroad Fund's

    Board Member

About

Muhammad Sankari, 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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3411 West Diversey Avenue
Suite #20
Chicago, Illinois 60647

o 773.227.7676