This year, the Shared Future Gala shines a light on maternal health—the foundation of thriving families and flourishing communities—celebrating its resilience, care, and profound ripple effect across generations.
Alex has more than 10 years of nonprofit experience, including five years with The Little Bit Foundation in St. Louis, MO, where she directed the organization’s programming and strategic partnerships and contributed to revenue growth of more than 300%. Prior to SOS, she served as Manager of Corporate Partnerships for One Million Degrees, a Chicago-based nonprofit serving scholars in post-secondary programs. Alex also has experience in domestic violence, as well as youth advocacy. She holds a Master’s in Social Work from the George Warren Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Saint Louis University.
A native Chicagoan, Bridget is a mission-driven professional with extensive experience serving young people, working in the intersection of education and social work, and building relationships with diverse communities of stakeholders. Bridget holds a Master’s in Social Work from the George Warren Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor’s in History with minors in Education and Psychology from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She spent a semester abroad in Northern Uganda studying Post-Conflict Resolution and has spent several summers in Jerusalem with Project Harmony Israel.
Jesseca began her career with Apartments.com, where she worked directly with property managers and management companies. She also has served as an assistant property manager with Mercy Housing and as the assignments coordinator at DePaul University’s Department of Housing. In 2015, Jesseca founded Never Go Without, which has donated over 50,000 menstruation and incontinence supplies to individuals in need around the Chicago area. She earned her Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Eastern Illinois University.
Sade (they/them) is a community-oriented service industry professional and administrator with a passion for cultivating care through highly personalized experiences. Sade holds a Master’s in Museum Studies from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a Bachelors’ in Anthropology and International Studies from the University of Washington.
Louis (Lou) attended Progressive Truck Driving School in Chicago where he received his Class A CDL license. After working at PGT Trucking, he decided to make a change in occupations and started with Share Our Spare in the fall of 2021. Lou says, “I love my job and our mission! I get to deliver essential items for children and meet a lot of new people doing important work throughout the community. I look forward to what’s to come each day!”
Sade (they/them) is a community-oriented service industry professional and administrator with a passion for cultivating care through highly personalized experiences. Sade holds a Master’s in Museum Studies from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a Bachelors’ in Anthropology and International Studies from the University of Washington.
After spending years working as a cook and organizing live music events, Bill pivoted to a new field joining the Share Our Spare team in January 2022 as an AmeriCorps VISTA. He was hired on as the Auxiliary Program Coordinator at the end of his VISTA term in January 2023.
Bill currently lives in Andersonville with his partner. He enjoys his free time playing video games, biking, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and exploring Chicago’s vast landscape of restaurants. He has a passion for workers’ rights and LGBTQIA+ liberation, and hopes to pursue future opportunities related to queer advocacy and labor equity.
Brian graduated from Dominican University in May 2023 with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. Brian is currently pursuing my M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics with combined internships. Ultimately, Brian wants to become a Registered Dietician and a community nutrition educator. Brian’s hometown is Chicago and he loves how expansive it is. Driving for SOS allows him to explore new parts of the city and suburbs.
Yaya is an experienced multimedia professional who is passionate about civic collaboration and immersive media. In 2023, she launched Chicago Moon, a platform created to moonlight the live sets of artist DJs performing throughout the city in various locations. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Film Production from California State University, Sacramento.
Jonathan is passionate about developing a circular economy across Chicago. He has supported grant/application writing, compliance reporting, and policy and procedure development for social service organizations and non-profit development funds in Chicago and beyond. He has a BA in Psychology and an MA in Industrial Organizational Psychology.
Sydney graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2024 with a BA in Anthropology and Sociology. Born and raised in Chicago, she is most passionate about working to build a brighter future for the city and is excited to start her career in the field of nonprofits/social services! Sydney has experience in educational support and ESL instruction and is motivated in all her endeavors to uplift youth and families!
