Abel Ochoa

Abel Ochoa serves as Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff in the Office of Civic Engagement (OCE). In this role, he oversees a portfolio that comprises the teams responsible for OCE’s suite of programs, such as: College and Career Readiness, Student Civic Engagement, Education Partnerships, Nonprofit Capacity Building, Civic Leadership and Program Development & Evaluation. Abel also provides leadership, direction and resources to strategic initiatives that include communications, community partnerships and local government/community engagement. As Chief of Staff, Abel provides organizational leadership across OCE to ensure strategic alignment, operational efficiency and overall success of the department. He oversees the day-to-day work and functions of OCE including operations, budget and human resources.

Abel works across the University and with the broader community to create meaningful and sustainable partnerships that increase civic participation, expand educational access, and create economic and social opportunity on the South Side of Chicago. He also serves as one of OCE’s primary liaisons to external funders, including foundations and philanthropic partners.

Since joining the University of Chicago in 2011, Abel has driven transformative community outreach and engagement initiatives that have strengthened the University’s commitment to expand educational opportunities for youth throughout the City of Chicago and our neighboring South Side communities, which includes leadership of OCE’s suite of college and career readiness programs. Abel holds a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an M.A. in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University. He is an alumnus of the Latino Policy Forum’s inaugural 2016-2017 Multicultural Leadership Academy, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business 2017 Executive Program for Emerging Leaders, and a 2018 – 2019 Civic Fellow of the Square One Foundation.