From education to activism, Liz Dozier has spent her career working tirelessly to disrupt the culture of inequity that is often pervasive in urban neighborhoods. During her tenure as principal at Fenger Academy High School, Liz and her team turned the school from one of the most violent and underperforming schools in Chicago to a leader in restorative justice practices, academic interventions and social emotional learning.
Liz holds her B.S. from Eastern Illinois University, her M.Ed. from National Louis University and is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in Mathematics. She formerly served as the Principal of Fenger High School; as the Turnaround Strategist at Harper High School; and as the New Leaders Residential Principal at Jones College Prep.
Roger was born and raised right here in Chicago, graduating from Chicago Public Schools. He’s always felt a responsibility towards the city, but in his past life as a journalist, he was only able to observe and report. Now, through Chicago Beyond, he can be active and contribute, dreaming of big ideas to share the work we do fighting for the city’s young people.
Roger holds his B.A. from DePaul University. He has previously served as the Multimedia Producer at the Chicago Tribune and Hoy Chicago.
Dr. Tapia is fighting to build emotional wellness for our youth. A clinical psychologist, she received her doctorate of psychology from the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology in 2008. She’s also the former warden of the Cook County Department of Corrections, transforming the system’s treatment of mental health. Dr. Tapia loves Chicago, Chicagoans (we have a rhythm like no other, she says) and Chicago hot dogs.
Maurice moved from New Orleans to Chicago in 2012 to become a high school principal on the south side of Chicago. He believes that actions reflect who we care for and what we care about. Maurice has spent 21 years in public education and works to create systems and supportive structure for youth. He is a former teacher and high school principal. Maurice later became Chicago Public Schools’ first-ever Chief Equity Officer, and interim Chief Education Officer before joining Chicago Beyond. Bringing system-leadership experience to philanthropy, Maurice’s goal is to work with youth, community, philanthropy, and educators to advance racial equity and social justice by co-designing new things to improve youth quality of life.
Maurice holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership/School Principalship from Xavier University of Louisiana. He earned his Ed.D. in Public School Administration with a concentration in Superintendency from Oral Roberts University. Maurice loves to listen to music, eat great food, and hang out with friends.
Born an Air Force brat, Myia’s early life involved moves around the globe from Turkey to Guam, then to both American coasts. Eventually, her family settled on the West Side of Chicago where Myia currently calls home. Myia has always had a passion for the city and a desire to continue working in the West and South Side communities. Spending time in different cities around the country made Myia’s love for Chicago’s communities grow.
Myia comes to Chicago Beyond with a nonprofit background, having previously worked with the MAAFA Redemption Project on Chicago’s West Side. Myia’s role is to support the team organizationally so that Chicago Beyond can maximize its potential impact. In her spare time, she loves to read, travel, and go to shows around the city.
Josh grew up in the suburbs of Chicagoland and considers the City of Big Shoulders his home. In his early career, Josh’s experiences as a teacher in the South Bronx transformed his life and began his journey toward advancing love and justice in the world. At Chicago Beyond, Josh supports the development and execution of organizational strategy to ensure all young people have the opportunity to live a free and full life. Outside of work, Josh whole-heartedly enjoys spending time with his family, playing guitar in a 90s/00s rock cover band, and eating Portillo’s.
Josh holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, a M.S. in Teaching from Fordham University, and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He previously served public and social sector clients as an Associate at McKinsey & Company, led fundraising efforts as the Director of Development and Communications at Hyde Leadership Charter School, and guided students’ learning as an English and Special Education teacher.
Ashley hails from Chicago’s south suburbs and considers the Windy City home. Ashley believes that everyone has the right to thrive and has dedicated her life to supporting communities to dismantle systems of oppression, lead their own liberation, and flourish. As Senior Director of Investments, Ashley leads Chicago Beyond’s end to end investment process and helps to ensure the team is positioned to create the most impact for young people in Chicago and beyond. Prior to joining Chicago Beyond, Ashley worked in the education, policy, and advocacy sectors to build power alongside those most impacted by systemic injustices to lead the charge for change.
Ashley loves spending time with family and friends. She is an avid runner and fitness enthusiast, loves to craft and spend her spare time completing jigsaw puzzles. Ashley graduated from Tufts University with a BA in Political Science and obtained her Master’s in Public Policy from Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Public Policy with a concentration in social policy.
A lifelong educator, Quincy has spent most of his career in schools, both as a teacher (elementary and high school) and in instructional and school leadership positions. In each of these roles, he has worked alongside educators, community members, and families to constantly improve student outcomes and experiences. In other organizational roles that supported school growth and improvement, Quincy has designed and facilitated professional development as well as led school redesign efforts in Chicago. He has also helped lead internal efforts surrounding DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism) while at LEAP Innovations.
As Director of Liberatory Design at Chicago Beyond, Quincy provides leadership for our internal and external work, designing new and meaningful experiences for our partners, as well as identifying new investments and opportunities that center equity and justice. Quincy holds his B.A. in English from James Madison University and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Northwestern University. In his spare time, Quincy enjoys reading and writing, and is an avid world traveler.
A lifelong Chicagoan, Katie has led communications efforts for a variety of institutions including Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago City Treasurer, and Illinois’ former Governor, Pat Quinn. Katie joined us for the opportunity to impact our city and its kids in a unique way. She crafts our story, oversees our communications efforts and ensures the team is helping our partners tell their stories creatively. She loves tiny details, graphic design, and spending time with her rescue lab-mix, Crosby.
Katie holds her B.A. in Communications and Media from St. Norbert College.
Investing has a flow. With attention to the whole, not just the investor’s part, what is possible grows. Shruti brings this orientation to her role. She loves people, and the unlikely combinations of methods and disciplines Chicago Beyond uses in our work for youth equity.
Shruti holds degrees from Harvard College and the Yale Law School. She previously served as Vice President of Market Strategies at AVIA, helped launch a Medicaid health plan at County hospital, and acted as an attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP.
Eva, born and raised in Chicago’s Chinatown, is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools and a first-generation college graduate. She’s always been appreciative of the people who supported and advised her along the way and she’s here to pay it forward to Chicago’s youth. As Chief Strategy and Operations Officer, Eva finds our path forward and figures out how best to operationalize it.
Eva obtained her A.B. in Government at Harvard University and her M.B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania. She has led strategy, digital, and operations projects at McKinsey & Company and has advised not-for-profit healthcare systems on financing needs at Barclays.
Born and raised in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, Alfonso is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools. Before joining Chicago Beyond, Alfonso spent over 20 years teaching and leading the instructional work at various Chicago Public Schools and Network offices on the South and West sides of Chicago. Alfonso is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher and has coached ten teachers to achieve National Board Certification. As Chief of Staff – working closely with our Founder & CEO, Liz Dozier, Alfonso ensures that we as an organization are operating at maximum efficiency and productivity.
Alfonso holds an A.B. in Spanish Literature with a minor in Studio Arts from Dartmouth College and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. He loves international travel, the arts, and learning world languages.
Having lived all over the Midwest, with stops in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, Advait is happy to now call Chicago home. He has always had a passion for service, from leading toy and book drives for local non-profits and hospital programs in high school to mentoring his Little through Big Brothers Big Sisters for the past few years. As a member of the Strategy & Operations team, Advait is excited to develop and execute upon projects that support our investment partners and improve the lives of youth in Chicago.
Advait holds his B.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from Duke University. He previously served as a Business Analyst for McKinsey & Company, working primarily to improve outcomes in both universities and health systems as part of the Public and Social Sector practice.
For several decades, Dori has marched to protest political, racial and social injustices. After scores of protests and demonstrations, mostly in her hometown of Chicago, but also in St. Louis, Washington, D.C. and Ferguson, she is grateful to be able to focus her time and energy on the struggle for equity by joining Chicago Beyond. In her role, she is dedicated to amplifying the voices and stories that need to be heard to help continue our journey toward freedom for all.
Dori previously led global marketing communications and orchestrated global brand strategy development and deployment at Mars/Wrigley. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Spanish. She is energized by live music, film and international travel.
Josh has spent most of his career in the social impact space. He has helped communities improve their livelihoods by providing access to better tools and resources that enable them to increase their output. He has facilitated scaling upmicrofinance and sustainable forestry programs for smallholder communities in East Africa and is excited to translate his unique experience to lead and execute on strategic projects critical to growing Chicago Beyond’s impact. A recent transplant to Chicago, he looks forward to learning from and partnering with leaders and organizations in the city to achieve this.
Josh holds a BSE in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Princeton University and an MA in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Miami.
