Rebecca Lindsay-Ryan

Working with the Big Shoulders Fund, Rebecca Lindsay-Ryan uses her education background and nonprofit management experience to help improve communities and prepare students for lifelong success. For a decade, she has overseen significant growth of the fund’s academic programs in order to increase access to high-quality education. During her years at the fund, the organization has grown from an $8M to $20M annual investment, deepened its impact through innovative academic and leadership development programs, and provided ongoing support to hundreds of alumni matriculating each year. Today, her work impacts nearly 20,000 Chicago children enrolled in 76 different schools, the majority of whom come from low-income backgrounds. In addition, she was selected to be a member of the Erikson Institute’s inaugural Barbara Bowman Leadership Fellows and was previously the president of the Board of Directors of Cherry Preschool. Prior to Big Shoulders Fund, Lindsay-Ryan worked at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and Francis W. Parker School. She has bachelor’s degrees in history and secondary education and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from DePaul University.