Welcome our 2025 CUE Fellows!

20 diverse leaders from across Chicago representing various sectors

Chicago United for Equity is excited to welcome the 2025 CUE Fellows, a cohort of 20 passionate leaders dedicated to reshaping the narrative of equity in Chicago.

This year's cohort embodies a rich tapestry of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and expertise, united by a common goal: to shift power to communities and build an equitable Chicago for everyone.

The CUE Fellowship is a year-long immersive program designed to empower leaders, disruptors, and healers from across Chicago. Through a comprehensive curriculum rooted in racial equity principles, Fellows will embark on a journey of learning, collaboration, and transformation.

“The 2025 Chicago United for Equity Fellows represent the bold leadership our city needs to drive transformative, democratized change,” said Candace Williams, CUE’s Interim Executive Director. “This cohort brings together leaders from across sectors, lived experiences, and communities who are uniquely positioned to harness the power of cross-sector collaboration and collective impact. Their work will be instrumental in advancing equitable solutions that respond to this critical moment in our history. I am honored to support and uplift their leadership as they help shape a city where everyone thrives."

Throughout the fellowship, participants will collaborate in a powerful learning community designed to enhance their skills through a curriculum that includes decolonizing research, racial equity impact assessments, principles of co-design, and more. By leveraging their collective wisdom and diverse perspectives, the Fellows will work collaboratively to reimagine Chicago's civic structures, policies, and practices utilizing a racial equity lens.

CUE’s Director of Civic Programming, Rachel Pate, shared, “I am thrilled to welcome the 2025 CUE Fellows—an extraordinary group of leaders, visionaries, and changemakers. Their courage to challenge the status quo and their commitment to racial equity inspire hope for a more just and inclusive Chicago.”  

Join us in welcoming the 2025 CUE Fellowship cohort to the vibrant CUEmmunity!

Meet the 2025 CUE Fellows:

• Caitlin Arens, Pilot Light

• Marissa Arrez, Mayor's Office of Immigrant, Migrant & Refugee Rights 

• Norman Clark, Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy

• Christopher Cole, DishRoulette Kitchen

• Alejandra Diaz, Chicago Public Schools

• Darci Flynn, Brave Path Strategies, LLC

• fakelia guyton, Equity Partners Network LLC

• Gary Jimenez, Palenque LSNA

• Sanam Kazi, Chicago Police Department

• Orion Meadows, Prison and Neighborhood Arts/Education Project (PNAP)

• Maggie O'Keefe, 40th Ward Democratic Organization

• Kumar Ramanathan, University of Illinois Chicago

• Maranda Raskin, Mayor's Office of Business, Neighborhood, and Economic Development

• Rosalia C. Salgado, Community Organizing and Family Issues

• Jennifer Sanchez, Cook County Assessor's Office

• Marquinta Thomas, Illinois Action for Children

• Sam Thousand, ChiBrations, LLC

• Justin Walker, ChiByDesign

• Naomi Wilfred, UChicago The To&Through Project

• Elizabeth Youngling, The Chicago Community Trust

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