Staff

Beth is an accomplished public, nonprofit, and philanthropic leader who has spent her career leading transformative efforts to improve the lives of young people. As CEO of A Better Chicago, she leads the organization’s efforts to fight poverty by investing in organizations and leaders that are creating opportunity for Chicago’s youth. A Better Chicago has invested over $73M in the most promising and innovative youth-serving nonprofits, reaching over 54,000 youth annually.

Previously, Beth was Vice President of Strategy and Programs at The Joyce Foundation guiding an annual portfolio of $50 million, providing strategic direction across six program areas, and working on foundation-wide innovation initiatives. Prior to Joyce, Beth served as Deputy for Education for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, working with education, non-profit, business and community leaders to define the city’s education policy agenda. Her portfolio included Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago, Department of Family Support Services, Chicago Park District and Chicago Libraries. Beth previously served as Executive Director of the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation and worked for Chicago Public Schools with then CEO Arne Duncan, serving as Director of the Office of Extended Learning Opportunities and leading the Office of Management and Budget.

Beth holds a B.A. in English and American studies from Amherst College, as well as a master’s in public policy from the University of Chicago. Currently, Beth is Vice Chair of the City Colleges of Chicago’s Board of Trustees, a board member of The Partnership for College Completion, and serves on the Illinois P-20 Council.

As A Better Chicago’s Director of Data and Impact, Onel utilizes his decade of experience in public service & social impact work to curate and improve data collection and evaluation processes for several non-profits driving key outcomes for Chicago youth. Prior to joining ABC, Onel worked as a Mayoral Fellow under Lori Lightfoot where he focused on utilizing research & data analytics to improve service delivery for the City of Chicago’s most vulnerable residents. Prior to his time with the City, Onel was an educator directly supporting youth, engaging families, and leading staff as Assistant Principal at Chicago’s Noble Network of Charter Schools.

As a first-generation BIPOC student himself, Onel is deeply committed to providing communities of color with the resources and education needed to make true impact across Chicago. Whether he is implementing a new fundraising impact strategy to attract new donors, utilizing data-driven decision making to improve community outcomes, or meeting with other non-profits to form working partnerships, Onel never thinks twice about the time and passion he devotes to helping organizations serve minorities and empower youth to grow and thrive.

Onel holds a BS in Psychology and Biology from the University at Buffalo and a MS in Computational Analysis and Public Policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. He is also a ’19 Surge Institute Fellow, received an Urban Leaders Fellowship, and is a Teach for America alum. In his free time, Onel is an avid traveler, loves cooking, trivia, and gaming, and serves on the board of a mentorship non-profit for Black and Brown boys across Chicago.

Nataly serves A Better Chicago as its Portfolio Director. She has worked for several years in the non-profit sector at the intersection of organizing, policy, and advocacy on issues related to educational equity and economic and reproductive justice. Nataly is skilled in exploring strategic and thoughtful ways of ensuring the voices of those directly impacted are informing an organization’s programs, policy, and social change efforts. Nataly has a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College and a Masters’s Degree in Social Work from Loyola University.

Emily joined A Better Chicago as the external relations coordinator in 2019, and is now Manager, Investor Relations & Operations. Previously, she served as deputy campaign manager for Derek Lindblom’s 43rd Ward Aldermanic campaign. Prior to joining the campaign, Emily was a special education aide at Oak Lawn Community High School. She has spent most of her life being a part of a nonprofit children’s theater in her hometown in the southwest suburbs. At the theater, she helped mentor low-income and first-generation students from elementary school through college. She was the first in her family to graduate from college, earning a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University, majoring in Spanish and Psychology as well as a minoring in Latin American and Latino Studies.

Chelsea joined A Better Chicago in January 2022 and serves as the Director of Development. In her role, Chelsea oversees the full continuum of fundraising activities including annual giving, major gifts, and foundation and corporate giving. Over the past eight years, Chelsea has worked in Development in health and human services in Chicago, most recently serving as the Director of Major Gifts and Strategic Philanthropy at Sinai Chicago. During her time at Sinai Chicago, she helped grow the organization’s philanthropic revenue more than five-fold. Previous to her work in health and human services, Chelsea worked in museums throughout New York City and Chicago. She holds a BA from Loyola University Chicago and a MA from New York University.

Rob joined A Better Chicago as its Chief Finance and Administration Officer in 2021 and now serves as Chief Operating Officer. For more than twenty years, Rob has managed the fiscal stability of civic organizations in Chicago. Over that span, he has served as the senior financial officer at several high-performing organizations with missions attuned to urban policy, workforce development and equitable access to educational opportunity. He specializes in directing both strategic and operational financial matters in mission-driven settings, with a particular focus on institutions operating at the intersection where the public, nonprofit and private sectors collaborate.

Rob earned a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He was a member of the 2018 cohort of the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy.

Megan Mineau joined A Better Chicago after nearly a decade of experience in the Chicago social service sector, most recently at Heartland Alliance. Megan holds an M.A. from The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and a bachelor’s in psychology from Beloit College in Beloit, WI. Megan has spent most of her career in fundraising, building capacity for organizations seeking to achieve equity and opportunity for all Chicagoans. A social worker at heart, Megan is passionate about advancing social justice and creating sustainable change in Chicago communities. Originally from Wisconsin, Megan currently lives in North Center with her partner (Noah), toddler (Hugo), and dog (Winnie). Her free time is limited these days, but when she has a spare moment she enjoys cooking, doing yoga, spending time outdoors, and daydreaming about travel.

Kamaria Morris recently joined A Better Chicago as the Director of Communications. As a Chicago native and communications professional, she has a deep commitment to amplifying the voices of youth, advocates, and their communities. Before joining the A Better Chicago team, she served as Deputy Communications Director in Governor Pritzker’s office after holding roles as Assistant Communications Director and Public Information Officer in the Governor’s administration. She previously worked as an Assistant Director of Communications at the Erikson Institute; as Public Relations Manager at Lyric Opera of Chicago; and as a Media Coordinator for WCIU-TV. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master of Arts in Communication from Northern Illinois University.

Marshana Pace leads the critical work of growing A Better Chicago’s portfolio of grantees that help create equitable opportunities for Black and Latinx youth. Marshana has spent nearly a decade in the education and youth development nonprofit field. She most recently served as Impact Director at City Year Chicago where she implemented strategies aimed at supporting student attendance, social-emotional learning skill development and academic progress for a cohort of Chicago public schools. Marshana holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from DePauw University, is a proud 2021 Surge Institute Fellow, and home décor enthusiast. A Chicago native from the beautiful neighborhood of Bronzeville, Marshana is fiercely dedicated to her city and creating sustainable change for youth and communities of color.

Allyson recently joined A Better Chicago as the Director of Strategic Initiatives. She previously served as the Chief of Staff to David Axelrod at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics (IOP). At the IOP, she worked closely with the leadership team to oversee and implement programming aimed at fostering civic and political engagement. She was also the Executive Producer of CNN’s The Axe Files podcast and managed all media and speaking requests for David Axelrod. Prior to joining the IOP, Allyson worked on Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s reelection campaign. Allyson is a Chicago native and graduated from Colorado College with a BA in International Political Economy.

Shanel is a proud KIPP alumna and is passionate about equitable resource allocation. She began her career as a Program Coordinator at City Youth Now, providing holistic education and employment case management to San Francisco’s system-involved youth. She then transitioned to support the Development, Communications, and Data team at the East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC), where she managed donor data and created a data-driven individual giving program.

Shanel holds a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Women & Gender Studies from Saint Mary’s College of California and a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. 

Perla is the Investment Operations Associate for A Better Chicago.  In this role, she supports the organization’s grant-making efforts by ensuring seamless grantmaking operations across all stages of the investment pipeline. Perla provides logistical and analytical support for due diligence, executes investment agreements, and enables grant payments.

Previously, Perla worked in higher education administration at both Northeastern Illinois University and the University of Illinois and in youth development at City Year of Chicago.  Perla approaches youth development with a holistic view of students’ needs and advocates for a positive relationship between students, teachers, administrators, and any stakeholders that touch students’ lives. Whether its addressing unstable housing, complex transportation, or any other obstacles to student success, she is driven to resolve student challenges to ensure all students have an opportunity to be their best selves.

Perla holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a minor in Integrative Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She was born and raised in Chicago and enjoys listening to horror audiobooks (ask her for a recommendation) and Latin dancing in her free time.

Emily is the Investment Operations Coordinator for A Better Chicago. In this role, she supports the organization’s investor relations efforts which encompass donor administration and marketing functions.

Previously, Emily worked in student-facing roles where she served as a mentor and advocate for Chicago’s youth. She gained hands-on experience and insight through her service in City Year where she supported a 3rd and 4th grade classroom. After a year with City Year, she transitioned to higher education and joined Bottom Line. There, she worked with first-generation college students serving as an advocate and providing degree, affordability, and career readiness guidance.

Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Iowa. She was raised in New Jersey, enjoys going to parks with her dog “Disco,” and reads at least 25 books a year in her free time.