Kelli Chavez
Associate Director of Community Development Initiatives
As the Associate Director of Community Development Initiatives, Kelli supports the Office of Civic Engagement’s economic inclusion efforts through its UChicago Local Initiative and “Buy, Live, and Hire Local” programs. She serves as the project manager for the South Side Housing Data Initiative, among other roles and responsibilities.
As the Associate Director of Community Development Initiatives, Kelli supports the Office of Civic Engagement’s economic inclusion efforts through its UChicago Local Initiative and “Buy, Live, and Hire Local” programs. She serves as the project manager for the South Side Housing Data Initiative, among other roles and responsibilities.
Before working at the University of Chicago, she worked in multicultural student affairs at Valparaiso University and anti-hunger research at Feeding America, where she contributed to the organization's annual anti-hunger research report Map the Meal Gap. Kelli also has experience working in mental health counseling and in community-based social service agencies.
Kelli earned a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago Social Service Administration, where she received the Edith Abbott Endowed Scholarship, and a BA with honors in Sociology/Criminology from Valparaiso University.