Our Team
Rebecca Clarkin joined Children First Fund as Executive Director in January of 2025 and is honored to be leading the organization’s work to enhance philanthropic resources & partnership efforts in support of CPS’ mission to provide a high-quality public education that prepares every child in every neighborhood for success in college, career, and civic life.
Rebecca brings over two decades of experience working with prominent youth-serving organizations in Chicago. Prior to joining CFF, she served in executive leadership roles at Youth Guidance for over a decade. Most recently serving as Chief Operating Officer, and prior to that, as Chief External Affairs Officer, Rebecca spearheaded growth strategy for Youth Guidance’s evidence-based clinical mentoring and group counseling programs, Becoming a Man (BAM) and Working on Womanhood (WOW).
Ms. Clarkin spearheaded the development of public-private partnerships that enabled significant scaling of the BAM & WOW programs in Chicago Public Schools, where Youth Guidance now serves over 11,000 young people in over 100 schools. She also worked in partnership with the public and philanthropic sectors to expand Youth Guidance to Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, Seattle, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.
Prior to her time at Youth Guidance, Rebecca served in leadership roles at Brightpoint (then Children’s Home & Aid) and Little City Foundation, two of Illinois’ most prominent social service agencies. Ms. Clarkin began her career connecting young families in Head Start programming in Chicago’s Englewood community to nonprofit partners for additional services, a role which had a profound impact on her commitment to serving children and families in underserved communities in Chicago.
Ms. Clarkin earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Sociology from New York University and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from Cornell University.
Mica Matsoff
Managing Director of Strategy and Investment
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.
Yemisi Odedina
Managing Director of Finance and Operations
Yemisi Odedina joined the Children First Fund as a consultant in July 2018, providing analysis and research support to help guide the relaunch of CFF. Soon after, she joined the team full time as the Director of Finance and Operations, a role in which she oversees the financial, operational, and strategic priorities of the organization. In August 2022, Ms. Odedina became Managing Director of Finance & Operations, and co-leader of the organization.
Ms. Odedina previously worked at the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation as an Associate Program Officer, where she was responsible for managing grant initiatives, conducting due diligence, and providing technical and strategic assistance to grantee partners across the state of Illinois. Prior to ILCHF, Ms. Odedina worked at City Colleges of Chicago as an Education Pioneer Fellow, where she project-managed several of the district’s strategic initiatives.
Before transitioning into the public/philanthropic space, Ms. Odedina worked in the finance sector on both the corporate and personal side for more than 10 years. She has a strong interest in improving the quality of life for all children, especially those from underserved communities.
Ms. Odedina has a B.B.A in Finance from Howard University.
Rachel Orlowski
Director of Institutional Giving
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’ 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.
Johanna Wheaton Dutt
Director of Major Gifts
In her role as Director of Major Gifts, Johanna Wheaton Dutt is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing the alumni giving and major gift programs for the Children’s First Fund.
Mrs. Wheaton Dutt graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Following graduation, she moved to Chicago and began her fundraising career at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (formerly Children’s Memorial Hospital), where she successfully engaged donors, shaped strategies and spearheaded efforts to increase philanthropic dollars. Throughout her fundraising career, Mrs. Wheaton Dutt has raised millions for pediatric healthcare, research, and education.
Mrs. Wheaton Dutt is passionate about helping CPS achieve its ambitious goals to ensure that every child across every school and neighborhood in Chicago has access to a world-class learning experience.
Kenya V. Martin
Director of Partnerships, College & Career Success
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.
Andréa Banks
School Partnerships Manager
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.
Patty Medairy
Manager of Human Resources & Operations
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.
Julia Friedland
Development Specialist
Julia Friedland partners with CPS departments and schools to identify opportunities for philanthropic funding, develop applications and pitches, and support in grants management and reporting. Additionally, Ms. Friedland acts as CFF’s Salesforce Administrator and helps the CFF team maintain clean data and drive efficiencies in our work.
Prior to joining CPS and the Children First Fund, Ms. Friedland served as a College Possible Coach at Lake View High School, where she provided SAT tutoring and guidance on the college process for a cohort of 40 juniors. Ms. Friedland’s interest in education goes back to her time volunteering as a tutor for elementary school students at the Sue Duncan Children’s Center through the Neighborhood Schools Program. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Chicago.
Geniz Hernandez
Development Specialist
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.
