In her role as Managing Director and co-lead of Children First Fund, Mica Matsoff oversees strategic, operational, and fundraising priorities of the organization. 

Mica oversaw the foundation’s response to the crisis and preparations for pandemic recovery, and developed and set the strategy for CFF’s dual focus to advance equity through direct-to-school and student supports and strategic district-level investments. She has additionally created original CFF programs and initiatives, including the Compassion Fund, School Partnership Program, and CFF Back to School and Holiday. 

Ms. Matsoff arrived at CFF with years of experience in organizational strategy, having held key advisory roles for complex, public-facing organizations including the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Chicago 2016 Olympic Games bid, Edelman PR, and Governor Quinn’s 2010 election campaign and subsequent administration.

In her roles as Senior Advisor and Director of Communications for Governor Quinn, Ms. Matsoff counseled and mobilized staff to ensure Governor’s Office strategies were advanced throughout state agencies. She directed cross-functional teams to execute new state reforms, developed policy agenda and long-term communication planning, and directed offices to promote new and existing programming, partnerships, and investments.

Before joining the Governor’s Office, Ms. Matsoff created original initiatives, partnerships, and events to build local community support for the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid and legacy organization World Sport Chicago.

Ms. Matsoff began her career in the Reputation Management practice at Edelman PR, where she developed corporate social responsibility, community relations, and executive positioning programs on behalf of clients such as L’Oreal USA, FTD, and Kraft Foods.

Ms. Matsoff is passionate about racial and economic equity.

As Director of Institutional Giving, Rachel Orlowski leads the strategy and execution of major fundraising initiatives for the Children First Fund. She works closely with leaders from Chicago Public Schools to identify areas where private funding can most effectively advance CPS’s mission of increasing equity and student achievement across the district, then communicates those opportunities to the philanthropic community and facilitates resulting commitments.

Ms. Orlowski graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Communications in 2012. She received a Master’s degree in Public Policy from University of Chicago in 2020. She has dedicated her career to helping Chicagoland organizations increase their social impact. Specializing in developing partnerships between the private and nonprofit sectors, she managed major fundraising initiatives for a number of local nonprofits before joining the Children First Fund.

She began her career as an Americorps Vista and Corporate Outreach Coordinator in Chicago’s Northwest suburbs. Later, she managed relationships and developed employee-giving campaigns for corporate partners at United Way of Metropolitan Chicago. At Rush University Medical Center, she solicited corporate and foundation funding for community health programs, school-based health centers, and medical research. And at WE Charity, she managed a portfolio of funders that contributed to support service-learning programming for Chicagoland students.

As the Director of Partnerships, College & Career Success Kenya is responsible for the ongoing design and implementation of fundraising strategies to support CPS college and career initiatives, including but not limited to, Career & Technical Education, Early College STEM Schools and the Chicago Roadmap. 

Prior to joining CFF, Ms. Martin held roles as a Grants Compliance Officer and Director of Grants Management with the City Colleges of Chicago, managing up to $25 million in federal, state, and private grant funds annually. 

Ms. Martin is both a Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago alumnus and has studied Organizational Leadership at Roosevelt University. She is passionate about Education and excited to be a part of CFF to support fundraising initiatives for all CPS students.

As the School Partnerships Manager, Andréa Banks is responsible for overseeing the School Partnership Program and facilitating relationships between philanthropic partners and Chicago Public Schools.

Prior to joining Children First Fund, Ms. Banks served as the Assistant Director, Advancement for High Jump and held a variety of roles in the Office of Alumni Relations and Development at Northwestern University. She has over 10 years of experience working with nonprofits and is passionate about equity of access in education.

Ms. Banks holds a BA in Hispanic Studies from Vassar College.

In her role as Manager of HR & Operations, Patty Medairy is responsible for building a productive and inclusive environment at the Children First Fund.

Ms. Medairy graduated with honors from Miami University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She joined CFF after ten years of advocacy and policy work in the non-profit sector, including roles at Planned Parenthood, Equality Illinois, and WE Charity. Her experience ranges from project management and organizational development to the processes used for managing and retaining our team members. Most recently, Ms. Medairy honed her passion for continuous improvement and team growth as the Director of People & Operations for the Chicago Public Education Fund.

Ms. Medairy leverages  her commitment to supporting the leaders and students of CPS and her experience overseeing and systemizing organizational change in her capacity at CFF.

As Marketing & Communications Manager, Claire Sloss is responsible for using messaging, integrated marketing, collateral development, and digital and social media to engage CFF audiences, share impact, and foster investment in CPS’ ongoing success.

Ms. Sloss has dedicated her career to supporting nonprofits in their fundraising and communication efforts. Prior to joining CFF, she worked as the Digital Content Strategist for the Housing Narrative Lab and served over a decade at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless on their development and communications teams. Ms. Sloss is passionate about leveraging digital tools and storytelling to cultivate awareness and empathy to drive meaningful impact.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

As a Development Specialist for the Children First Fund, Geniz Hernandez manages a varied fundraising portfolio, working with different CPS teams to submit grant proposals, manage progress towards goals, and ensure the accurate and timely submission of reports. 

Ms. Hernandez started her work in grant writing at a grassroots community-based nonprofit, where she developed proposals to support historically excluded populations, such as people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, PLWHA, and youth experiencing homelessness. Through her current work at CPS, she continues advocating on behalf of historically excluded populations at a much larger scale. She is excited to be part of the CFF team because she believes that this type of work enacts a positive change in the city and furthers the district’s goal of providing equitable access to services and education.

Ms. Hernandez holds a Master’s degree in Translation Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and a Bachelor’s degree in English from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico.