Staff​

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Beth Palmer – Director
Beth Struck Palmer started the Tutoring Program with volunteer tutors in 1985, because children in her choir could not read the words of the songs. Growing from that were the Saturday Tutoring Program with 8th graders from Wilmette Jr. High as tutors, and the Summer Piano Program with volunteer piano tutors. In 2016 Ms. Palmer received the United Voices for Children Child Worker Award. In 2018 she was declared a “Living Treasure” by the Edgewater Historical Society. Ms. Palmer also plays the pipe organ at Epworth Church.

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Meg Stuart – Learning Program Manager

Meg Stuart is originally from Michigan and has been living in Chicago and working with Inspired Youth since the summer of 2022. Before moving to Chicago, Meg spent some time on the Central Coast of California and the Cleveland Metro Area. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Sociology, and has been involved in the world of non-profits since beginning college in 2011. 

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Board of Directors

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Meghan Ford - Chair

Meghan is a Supervisor of Administrative Services at a consulting company. She has been involved with Inspired Youth since 2013, and since joining the board has focused on the organization’s fundraising and social initiatives. In her free time, Meghan enjoys taking advantage of the lakefront, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Dan Solomon – Secretary
Dan is a retired software engineer who lives in West Rogers Park. In addition to his work with Inspired Youth, he serves as secretary of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science, and as volunteer coordinator for Adult Education at the Unitarian Church of Evanston. In his spare time, he likes to backpack, read, and participate in philosophy discussion groups.
 

Kenny Roman – Treasurer
Kenny has resided in the Uptown neighborhood for 25 years. Kenny is a former student of the Tutoring Program; he received tutoring services during his high school education. After completing his doctorate degree, Kenny volunteered as an Inspired Youth tutor for several years and subsequently joined the board. In his spare time, you can find Kenny reading science journals at coffee shops, planning family events, and enjoying the great food our city offers with friends.

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Selina Sepulveda

Selina has been a tutor with Inspired Youth since 2019. She is the Program Manager for student mentorship and workforce development internships at Lurie Children’s Hospital. Selina graduated from DePaul University with an MPH. She's passionate about empowering Chicago Youth and supporting communities. Selina also volunteers at Lakeview Pantry. In her free time, she enjoys running, going to concerts, and spending time with her dog. 

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Clay Cerny

Clay Cerny has been a tutor with Inspired Youth since 2016. He owns AAA Targeted Writing & Coaching, a career coaching and resume writing firm located in Andersonville. Clay earned a Ph.D. in English literature from Northwestern University. As part of Edgewater’s Kiwanis Club, he has supported neighborhood youth and public schools for more than ten years.

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Sridevi Achanta

Sridevi graduated with a Computer Science degree in India. She married a Software Engineer and moved to America. She has two sons, one who recently became a tutor for Inspired Youth, and one who has been a tutee since 2018. Sridevi has been involved with Inspired Youth's tutoring program since 2018, joining the board in 2022.  

Michael Fleck

Michael joined Inspired Youth as a tutor in September 2018, shortly after moving to the Uptown neighborhood from Washington DC. He chose to join the Board in 2022 as a different way of serving Inspired Youth. Michael earned his BA from Georgetown University and his MS from Johns Hopkins University. He is a Director of Asset Management for a commercial real estate firm in Chicago. In his spare time, he enjoys competing in crossword puzzle tournaments and taking orders from his cat. 

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Yim Yan

Yim first volunteered with Inspired Youth in 2008, when she moved from her hometown of Los Angeles to Chicago. As it goes, life took her elsewhere and back to the Windy City ten years later. Yim was delighted to rejoin Inspired Youth as a tutor in 2018 and board member in 2023. Professionally, she spends her time in the delicious world of food innovation. When not eating her experiments, Yim enjoys the city with her sweet dog, Miso.  

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Jessica Erhard

Jessica has enjoyed tutoring ever since she was a children's book group leader at her local library during high school in the 00s. She began tutoring at Inspired Youth in Spring 2015. Jessica's favorite subject to teach is mathematics, since she likes to share her enjoyment of math with others and believes it is important to almost every other aspect of life. She values music education and has taught piano in the summer music program. Jessica currently works as a software engineer and is originally from the Chicagoland area.