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OUR TEAM

Meet our leaders.

Emily Krisciunas is the inaugural Executive Director of CFTEH. Emily joined the team in May 2020 as the first staff person to support the collaborative. Prior to this role, she served as Deputy Policy Director in the Chicago Mayor’s Office, focusing on issues related to the social safety net including housing, homelessness, and public health.
Emily's career began as a grant writer at Ignite, an agency supporting young people experiencing homelessness. She holds a BA in English and Sociology from the University of Notre Dame and an MPA from the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy. Emily co-chairs the Illinois Community Advisory Council on Homelessness and serves on the city’s Strategic Advisory Committee to develop a new five-year plan to prevent and end homelessness.
Emily is a 2026 Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC) Signature Fellow.

Kathy is the Senior Manager of Partnerships and Programs at CFTEH, joining the collaborative in June 2022. She comes to CFTEH from the West Chicago Elementary School District, where she led community school efforts in early childhood programs and created partnerships to remove nonacademic barriers for families as a District Administrator. Kathy also brings advocacy and policy experience from her work with the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness and Access Living.
Kathy holds a Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in Community Health and Urban Development and a Bachelor's degree in Sociology. Kathy serves on the Chicago Continuum of Care’s Board and Executive Committee, as well as the State’s Latine Homelessness Roundtable.
Kathy is participating in the 2026 Chicago United for Equity (CUE) Fellowship.

STEERING COMMITTEE

Divya Mohan Little

Polk Bros. Foundation
Senior Program Officer
Emily Metz

Michael Reese Health Trust
Program Director, Housing and Health
Jennifer Miller Rehfeldt

Crown Family Philanthropies
Program Director, Health and Human Services
Joanne Otte

The Chicago Community Trust
Director, Critical Needs
Josh McGowan

Co-chair
Circle of Service Foundation
Senior Program Officer
Julián Lazalde

Healthy Communities Foundation
Program Manager of Advocacy and Public Policy
Laura Jansen

Cuore e Mani Foundation
Executive Director
Ricardo Lopez

Schreiber Philanthropy
Housing Portfolio Manager
Tameeka Christian

Co-chair
JB + MK Pritzker Family Foundation
Director, Pritzker Community Health Initiative