With Four Years of Impact and Counting, Hope Chicago Marks Leadership Transition


With Four Years of Impact and Counting, Hope Chicago Marks Leadership Transition

CHICAGO – As founding CEO of Hope Chicago, Dr. Janice K. Jackson has led a groundbreaking effort to deliver pathways to economic mobility for thousands of South, Southwest, and West Side Chicago families with its multi-generational approach to post-secondary education. In just four years, she has taken the organization from a bold idea to powerful impact. She will step down from her role at Hope Chicago to pursue other career opportunities, effective August 1.

“Helping to launch and lead Hope Chicago is among the most meaningful work of my career. We turned an ambitious idea into a transformative movement—one that is proving what's possible when we invest in whole families and eliminate barriers to college and career success. I am deeply proud to have played a role in building such a force for equity and opportunity for South and West Side families, and I am excited to see a new leader expand that impact in Hope Chicago’s next chapter,” said Dr. Jackson.

Since 2021, Hope Chicago has implemented a two-generation, debt-free scholarship model that serves both high school students and their parents or guardians from communities historically underrepresented in postsecondary programs. In just four years, Hope Chicago has raised $90 million dollars to support more than 2,000 Hope Scholars and Parent Scholars in Illinois. Postsecondary enrollment at Hope Chicago’s five partner high schools has increased by more than 30 percent and Hope Scholars have achieved significant gains in college persistence. To date, more than 110 Hope Scholars and Parent Scholars have completed debt-free programs and pathways through Hope Chicago. Hope Chicago partners with 29 in-state colleges and workforce programs to provide financial coverage and academic and career support.

According to Pete Kadens, Co-Founder and Board Co-Chair, this transition marks a natural inflection point for the organization. Kadens explains: “Our fourth and largest cohort of Hope Scholars is headed to college this fall, and we could not have built as strong an organization or team without Janice's leadership. We have already begun the process to select a new leader to take Hope Chicago and its mission to the next level.”

“Hope Chicago has built an impressive track record of achievement,” says Co-Founder and Board Co-Chair, Theodore L. Koenig. “In our relatively brief history, and with Dr. Jackson’s remarkable leadership, we currently have thousands of Hope Scholars and Hope Parent Scholars enrolled in, getting ready for, or having already completed a college and career pathway program. And the amount of accumulated debt per Hope Scholar? Zero—which opens doors to endless career and economic mobility opportunities for these families. As Hope Scholars progress toward completing their degrees/certifications, we’re incredibly proud of the broad coalition of public and private support we’ve built under Dr. Jackson’s leadership.”

“More than the numbers are the personal stories of families for whom Hope Chicago has meant a pathway to a bright, transformative future,” observes Board Co-Chair Melvin Rodriguez. “I join my fellow Board members in our continuing commitment to making those dreams a reality through debt-free access to higher education.”

After beating cancer, Erica Ivy—a devoted mother of five from Chicago—is now studying economics at City Colleges of Chicago alongside two of her children, Prodigy and Regina, who both attend Eastern Illinois University as Hope Chicago Scholars—all completely debt-free. With the financial burden lifted, the family is redefining what’s possible for their family and building generational wealth through education.

Guillermo Niño, a father from North Lawndale on Chicago’s West Side, is rebuilding his life and community after years of gang involvement and incarceration—now serving as a violence interrupter and earning his bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Northeastern Illinois University, all debt-free. His daughters, Tonantzin and Arianna, are following in his footsteps, with Tonantzin studying Early Childhood Education at Illinois State University and Arianna set to join her father at NEIU this fall. Their story is a powerful testament to resilience, second chances, and how Hope Chicago’s tuition-free model is transforming families and reversing higher ed enrollment declines.

To read more Hope Scholar stories, visit hopechicago.org/stories.

Hope Chicago’s Board of Directors has begun an executive search for the next CEO and plans to share an update on its future leadership soon.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.