Benjamin Brownson Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Morten Group (MG) is a national, Chicago-based consulting firm specializing in social change through skills development, public policy, and advocacy, with an emphasis on transformation through assessment, education, and action. MG focuses on organizational and resource development, including workshops on diversity and building communities of inclusion and access, racial equity integration and strategic planning, and executive / board searches, recruitment, and retention.In my various roles within the firm's work I have had the opportunity to partner with a plethora of nonprofit, philanthropic, healthcare, government, and corporate organizations, leading or contributing to dozens of projects in READI/DEI assessment and education, organizational development, data analysis, and strategic/equity action planning.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

I am actively engaged in all of these pieces of the company's work, regularly contributing in the areas of curriculum design, facilitation, data collection and analysis, evaluation and assessment, writing and communication, stakeholder engagement and communication, and others. In my role as Project Manager I lead the planning, communication, implementation, and tracking of a broad range of projects through a lens of racial equity and social change. Key responsibilities include organizational assessment, strategic planning, READI education and action planning, developing relationships and community, and adaptively collaborating with client partners to connect the dots and effectively support them in moving their organization forward.Client partners include Erie Family Health Centers, Grand Victoria Foundation, Woods Fund Chicago, RUSH University Medical Center, Wellness House, Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation, Elevate Energy, Legal Council for Health Justice, Ignite, and the Poetry Foundation.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

My consulting and client work with Morten Group covers all areas of the firm's practice, with a focus on:Racial Equity, Access, Diversity, and Inclusion (READI) workshops, trainings, and listening sessions; facilitation and curriculum development. Client partners include the Office of the Governor of Illinois (including the leadership of 40 state agencies), Navy Pier, sgsco, Illinois College of Optometry, Test Positive Awareness Network (TPAN), Kenneth Young Center, Lawrence Hall, Erie Family Health Centers (EFHC), Lambda Legal, and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)Organizational assessments; interviews, data analysis, report writing, client presentations, and project management. Client partners include Northwest Justice Project, Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, Elevate Energy, sgsco, OAI, Age Options, Infant Welfare Society, and Miles Partnership, Institutional DEI, Race Equity, and white ally action planning, strategic planning, and committee development and support. Client partners include Aids Foundation Chicago, PUSH Buffalo, Woods Fund Chicago, Rush University Medical Center, EFHC, and approximately 20 State Agencies under the purview of the Illinois Governor's Office.Executive searches and board member recruitment. Client partners include La Casa Norte, EFHC, Howard Brown Health Center, Irving Harris Foundation, Chicago Freedom School, Jane Addams Senior Caucus, Forefront, Chicago Foundation for Women, Laughing Gull Foundation, and Changing Worlds.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

San Francisco Bay Area

I had the privilege to spend the summer on contract in support of the San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools and supporting their mission "to interrupt and transform current and systemic educational inequities to ensure all students have access to personalized, equitable and high performing schools that believe and demonstrate each student can, should and will succeed."Key duties in this role included:• Managing the calendar, communication, billing, accounts, and other administrative functions on behalf of the Executive Director;• Providing logistical support for four week-long iGroup conferences, including creating materials, arranging lodging, transportation, and meals, communication with participants, and other duties as needed.• Arranging travel and lodging for Executive Director, staff, and national facilitators• Maintaining consistent and effective email, phone ,and inter-office correspondences;• In collaboration with the Executive Director, initiating, deepening, tracking, and maintaining relationships and communication with key partners

Greater Chicago Area

Founded in 1985, Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC) is the premier civic leadership organization in Chicago, creating lifelong partnerships and developing community awareness among Chicago's leaders across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.As Director of Programs, I oversaw the strategy, design, development, and execution of all aspects of LGC's signature Fellows Program, the Leadership Fellows Association, and our extended Fellows network, as well as public forums and strategic partnerships. I also managed the recruitment and selection of future Fellows, worked to facilitate ongoing engagement among our broad and diverse Fellowship, cultivated relationships with leaders, experts, stakeholders, and partner organizations, and greatly expanded the profile, reach, and influence of LGC and our Fellows as we worked together to effect positive change in Chicago and the region.

Chicago

Founded in 1985, Leadership Greater Chicago is the premier civic leadership organization in Chicago, cultivating the next generation of civically leaders across Chicago’s business, public, service, and nonprofit sectors. Leadership Greater Chicago creates lifelong partnerships and develops community awareness among leaders in the Chicago metropolitan area.The LGC Fellows Program is Chicago's premiere leadership development experience for high-potential individuals from the region's private, public, and service sectors. It offers an unparalleled opportunity for in-depth learning about complex urban issues, as well as the relationships, tools, and analytical skills needed to address them.As Program Manager, I was responsible for the planning, coordination, communication, facilitation, and execution of all aspects of the yearly LGC Fellows Program and Class, as well as the 1000+ member network that is the Leadership Fellows Association. Through all-day sessions, site visits, discussions with leaders and subject matter experts, cultural events, dialogue, engagement, and other programming, I get to work with a diverse array of passionate and fantastic people, helping to educate, connect, equip, and empower them to build a better Chicago.

Chicago

Broken Nose Theatre is Chicago's premiere pay-what-you-can theatre company, committed to making theatre economically accessible to all audiences. We develop and produce new work, and strive to cultivate empathy, spark conversation, and amplify underrepresented voices in all we do. As the company's founder and artistic director, I set and maintained the organization's mission, vision, and values, curated programming, served as lead producer on all projects, managed operations, volunteer staff, associates, and guest artists, and worked to create and support the creation of exceptional and relevant theatre in Chicago. During my nearly seven years as artistic director, my team and I grew the organization from a nascent idea to one of Chicago's hottest young theatre companies, and from an initial budget of a few hundred dollars to a six-figure annual operating budget.Our work has received numerous awards and accolades, including multiple Joseph Jefferson and Black Theatre Alliance Awards, consistent critical acclaim and numerous "Best Shows of the Year" listings, and national media attention, including two appearances in American Theatre Magazine. In 2018, Broken Nose was selected by the League of Chicago Theatres and our peers in the community as the recipient of Broadway in Chicago's Emerging Theatre Award, the most prestigious honor a young theatre company in Chicago can hope to receive.Although I no longer serve as artistic director, I remain actively involved in the company as an artist and member of the ensemble and board.

Chicago, Il

I managed a staff of 6-10 hourly employees in the areas of house management, box office, bar and concessions, facilities, education and special events, and others. Those duties included hiring, training, scheduling, and overseeing the staff in their responsibilities, as well as assisting and covering shifts in each area as needed.Additionally, I worked closely with resident companies and renters to ensure their needs were met and to enforce Greenhouse policies, cultivated relationships with organizations and individuals within the neighborhood and extended Chicago theatre community, instituted and oversaw the Trellis Artist Development program, dealt with questions, concerns, and issues from both patrons and our renters, sought out and developed building programming, and generally ran the day-to-day operations of a busy, mid-size, multi-space performing arts venue in the heart of Chicago's vibrant theater scene.

Chicago

I ran all front of house operations, including house management, bar and concessions, hiring and overseeing a staff of 6-10 part time employees, handling patron requests or issues, helping with the box office, serving as manager on duty for all performances in our four spaces, and filling in wherever necessary to ensure everything ran smoothly.

Ma, Humanities

Ba, Writing And Rhetoric, Theatre, English

Victorian Literature And Creative Writing

I spent a semester studying Victorian Literature and Creative writing at Oxford. In addition to my studies, I had the opportunity to be.