Jim Chesire Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Bolster Mission partners with not-for-profit ventures to help them grow sustainable, community-based impact at large-scale.

Imagine Science is an emerging national informal STEM learning partnership of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Girls Inc., the National 4-H Council and the YMCA of the USA. Imagine Science partners work together in communities across the nation to engage elementary and middle school age youth in community based informal STEM learning in order to inspire the next generation of problem solvers and increase the options disadvantaged youth have in school and in life. The partnership launched program operations in 2015 with first pilot programs in Dallas, Omaha and Orange County. Then building on strong results of an independent evaluation by Harvard University's PEAR Institute, Imagine Science has expanded to Denver, Houston, New York City and St. Louis reaching more than 16,000 under-represented youth by 2018. Imagine Science has plans to grow to add 6 new communities by 2020.

The Meitheal Awards is a charitable project to support creative and resilient, enterprising young leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing in their chosen fields of study while also making new opportunities for younger youth to learn and grow. First awards were given Spring of 2015. Awards and grants are given by invitation only.

• Responsible for all day-to-day operations and strategy for “lead-from-behind” backbone organization to public-private partnership of Chicago-based youth-serving organizations including the Mayor’s Office, Chicago Community Trust, Boeing Corporation, McCormick Foundation, Metropolitan Family Services, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Park District, YMCA, Boys & Girls Club of Chicago and many of the other major youth providers in Chicago. Allies partners sought to work together to improve graduation rates, decrease youth violence and prepare Chicago’s youth to succeed in life.• Grew partnership from 5 organizations in 2011 to 15 in 2012; Annually represents opportunities to more than 200,000 young people in every community in the city, and a combined budget of $180 million.• Execution of 2012 Clinton Global Initiative Americas commitment to create the Civic Council for Youth Success, Chicago’s plan for a “cradle-to-career” initiative (signed by thirteen CEOs, June 2012), now Thrive Chicago. • Creation and agreement upon a 5-year Strategic Blueprint for achieving the Allies common vision among its partners; and Unified Youth Outcomes, a common set of achievable, clearly defined and research-based youth outcome indicators that can be transparently implemented and aligned across the youth-serving system.

• Oversaw day-to-day operations and strategy for six-year $11 million Wallace Foundation grant to After School Matters and City of Chicago to increase the access, reach and quality of afterschool and youth development opportunities system-wide. Managed diverse, large project consulting teams as well as CEO relationships. • Launched Afterschool for Children and Teens Now (ACTNow!) statewide coalition, successfully drafted and passed SB3543 the Illinois Youth Development Project Act; established first-ever program quality standards & measurement tools now implemented across CPS, ASM, Parks, Libraries and city-funded community youth programs; and implemented common program and participant tracking system (Cityspan/youthservices.net) for all publicly funded programs (28,000 activities at any one moment, more than 170,000 youth annually). • One-year joint position, Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.• Work featured in publications by Harvard Family Research Project, RAND, Public/Private Ventures among others.

• Advisor to Commissioner & Deputy Commissioner, Policy on community youth development.Chicago Program Evaluation Project, research and data project management.• Policy brief development, legislative monitoring, secondary research synthesis in early childhood, workforce development, youth development and student supports.• Presentations and public representation on behalf of Commissioner's office at a variety of state, local and national forums.

Finance For Executives, Business Administration And Management, General

Master Of Education (M.Ed.), Human Development & Psychology

Short Course On Complex Systems

Emergence Of Organizations & Markets: Course With John Padgett

Bachelor'S Degree, Human Studies: Psychology & Philosophy

Bachelor Of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Studio Arts