Staff/Board
Staff
Zach Duffy
Director of Development
Zach has volunteered at 826CHI for over two years as an exceptional workshop instructor and has gone on to become a key leader in 826CHI’s ongoing seminars in “How to Create an Outstanding Workshop.” Prior to coming to 826CHI, Zach received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a major in English and an emphasis on Creative Writing. Zach also taught in public schools for more than three years, two of which were in Chicago Public Schools through the Teach for America program. Zach’s fundraising experience includes three years as the Grants and Communication Manager at Perspectives Charter School, and as Development Director at Street Level Youth Media. In his spare time, Zach plays the guitar, flexes his photography muscles, and loves to cook (but hates to follow recipes — you can’t fence this guy in).
Kait Steele
Director of Education
Kait joined 826CHI as an intern when it first opened in 2005, assisting with programs. She joined the staff in 2006, as 826CHI’s first Program Coordinator. Kait received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, where she majored in English with a focus on creative writing. Prior to coming to 826CHI, Kait taught creative writing and wrote development and communications materials at Woodstock School in India. Kait has a disarming penchant for exclamation points.
Patrick Shaffner
Director of Outreach and Communications
Patrick manages outreach to new and familiar faces and manages events. He joined 826CHI as an intern when it first opened in 2005, assisting with programs and events. Patrick received his bachelor’s degree from William & Mary, with double majors in anthropology and literary and cultural studies. For those of you who love watching blockbuster movies at an excruciatingly slow pace, going frame by frame, you will recognize him from 2008’s Batman film, The Dark Night, where he played the role of "concerned Gotham citizen in a large crowd."
Kendra Curry
Program and Volunteer Coordinator
Kendra became involved at 826CHI as a volunteer tutor immediately upon her arrival in the Windy City, and has since co-invented Chicago-specific handshakes with students. Kendra has spent more than a decade involved in educational programming at arts organizations and museums, including work in Mexico and Honduras, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and for the Chinati Foundation and Artpace in Texas. A native Mainer and honorary Texan, Kendra is also an artist who rather obsessively draws, paints, and animates clouds. She earned her BFA in sculpture from the Maryland Institute, College of Art and her Master’s in Art Education from the University of Texas at Austin.
Molly Walsh
Boring Store Head Agent
Molly Walsh discarded her prior life in order to assume the life of a secret agent and take the helm at The Boring Store. Had you encountered her before, it might have been while receiving fervent book recommendations in shops across the country or, perhaps, while playing frisbee on the North Lawn at Sarah Lawrence College. She got her alternate identity training at the iO theater and on improv stages everywhere. Now, while not manning The Boring Store desk, she's busy learning the skills necessary to survive an apocalypse--baking bread, brewing beer and building furniture with the rest of the DIY tribe.
Sandy Moy
Programs Assistant [AmeriCorps member through Public Allies]
Sandy Moy grew up in Chicago but spent a semester abroad in Hong Kong. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in Spring 2011 with a B.A. in International Studies. Sandy is currently doing a year of service with 826CHI through AmeriCorps's Public Allies program. Her favorite things are warm cookies, hugs, doodles, and cloudwatching.
Amanda Mather
Programs Assistant
Amanda is a senior in the Communication Studies department at Northwestern University. She hails from Portland, Oregon, and once spent a brief semester in Paris living with someone else’s adorable, French grandmother. Outside of 826CHI and school, Amanda works as a summer camp counselor convincing high-school freshmen to sing in rounds. She enjoys sweatpants.
Cassie Cleary
Programs Assistant
Cassie is interning at 826CHI as a second-year master's student at the University of Chicago, where she studies the policy, research, and management of social work in the School of Social Service Administration. Previously, Cassie has worked as an adolescent treatment counselor, tutor, after school program coordinator, and teacher of English in Sevilla, Spain. She earned her BA in English from the University of Illinois, and did not earn her PhD in Victorian Language and Literature from the University of Michigan. Her dog, Biscuit, has his own facebook page, which he uses to discuss politics, New Years' resolutions, and his interest in abating global warming.
Rufus Urion
Programs Assistant
Rufus is a native of Massachusetts set to graduate from Northwestern this spring with majors in Religious Studies and Political Science and is very excited to join the 826CHI crew as a programming intern. When he asked two friends to describe him in one word, they said "animated" and "why". In his free time, he enjoys drafting script treatments for '80's style coming-of-age buddy comedies and fine-tuning his iTunes playlists.
Angelica Davila
Programs Assistant
Angelica is in her final year of college, and she plans on pursing a career in science fiction and comic book reading. She is currently co-creator of a sometimes updated webcomic. She likes to buy Nutella in bulk because she is addicted to the delicious flavor. She once won third place at a speech tournament for original comedy and fourth place for humorous interpretation.
Michelle Czarnecki
Programs Assistant
At 6'1", Michelle is the shortest kid in her family, working on her height problem by trying to stretch through any form of yoga she can find. While perfecting her "garuda asana," she has been known to write a few poems, bake a few cakes, and try to teach herself multiple languages, namely (only) Gaelic. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with her bachelors in English, Creative Writing, and American Indian Studies, Michelle is currently exploring the possible things to do which include migrating to the south, going back to school, engaging the real world, or becoming a Disney princess.
LIz Coda
Programs Assistant
Liz is junior at Northwestern University studying Psychology and French. She spent her fall semester this year in Paris learning more about cheese than she ever needed to know. Although she spent the first 18 years of her life in New Joizey, she looks absolutely nothing like Snooki. Liz enjoys dancing to terrible 90s pop music and making those crazy colorful string friendship bracelets you made in camp when you were seven.
Chris Rife
Programs Assistant
Chris Rife is a junior at DePaul University, currently double majoring in Communication & Media and Creative Writing. He also performs sketch and improvisational comedy with various groups around the city, as well as co-hosts a show on Radio DePaul. When he does have free time, he enjoys unsolicited karaoke and wearing fake mustaches over his real one. He'd rather go to a poem party than a foam party.
Lisa Radecki
Programs Assistat
Lisa Radecki graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA, emphasis in visual communications. After graduating she moved to sunny California where she taught at an art boarding school for a year. Enjoying the amazing weather on the west coast she still missed the windy city and decided to venture back. Lisa enjoys illustrating, writing, designing, and binding her own children's books during her free time. Her favorite font is Clarendon, which was also the name of the street her father grew up on.
Jim Withington
Programs Assistant
Jim Withington grew up in Northern Illinois and spent time playing in both high school and college marching bands (Go U NU!) before graduating with an MA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Columbia College Chicago. He's spent time as a college instructor, student success coach, and freelance music writer, and currently serves as a writing tutor for Spoon River College. Jim also spent the last six years drinking amazing coffee and living sales tax free in Portland, Oregon. He enjoys deciphering his basset hound's whimperings, reading and writing poetry in the hopes of getting better at both, adventuring around our great city with his partner Erin, and writing about himself in the third person.
Mo Hickey
Programs Assistant
Mo Hickey is in her third year at Bennington College in rustic Bennington, Vermont. While there, she lives in a renovated barn-house nestled between a graveyard and a field of cows, and she spends most of her time making books and writing papers about books. When she is home in Chicago for the summer she enjoys watching Law and Order re-runs and writing in bed. She also enjoys cats of all sizes and descents.
