MAIP Staff Profiles

Policy Staff
Research Staff
National Transitional Jobs Network Staff

Amy Rynell, Director - arynell@heartlandalliance.org
Amy has worked for MAIP since 1997 and oversees all of MAIP's research, policy, and coordination activities. Additionally, she leads the Illinois Poverty Summit, coordinates the Regional Roundtable on Homelessness, and manages the National Transitional Jobs Network. Amy has worked on a variety of policy and research projects, including an inventory of public housing and housing choice vouchers capacity and waiting lists in Illinois, an evaluation of transitional jobs programs for welfare recipients, and a study of unemployed homeless adults with multiple employment barriers. She also manages MAIP’s media outreach. Amy received her MA from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.

Jean Lam, Program Coordinator - jlam@heartlandalliance.org
Jean provides clerical, administrative, and various programmatic support to MAIP. Jean joined Heartland Alliance in 2002 as Administrative Assistant to both the Heartland Human Care Services Executive Office and MAIP. Her previous experience includes database maintenance and information services support.

Policy Staff

Gina Guillemette, Director of Policy - gguillemette@heartlandalliance.org
Gina directs agency efforts to identify systemic barriers experienced by vulnerable populations and to advance effective solutions through administrative and legislative change. She coordinates advocacy across the organization and works with elected officials, policymakers, and key stakeholders to advance the policy priorities of Heartland Alliance. Gina specializes in policy solutions related to poverty alleviation, income supports and economic security, and asset building as well as the intersection between program implementation and public policy. She received her Master of Social Work degree, with a concentration in social and economic development, from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Doug Schenkelberg, Associate Director of Policy - dschenkelberg@heartlandalliance.org
Doug joined MAIP in the summer of 2006 with over 6 years of affordable housing, community development, policy, and advocacy experience. He is currently the coordinator of the From Poverty to Opportunity Campaign: Realizing Human Rights in Illinois, as well as the point person for housing policy. Doug received his Masters in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Andrea Ray, Youth Policy Associate - aray@heartlandalliance.org
Andrea (Andy) coordinates the Illinois Youth - Ready for Life Teen Poverty and Youth Development Project, which includes engaging youth in identifying needs, challenges, and opportunities for systemic change as well as in impacting the policy-making process. Also, she convenes a multidisciplinary group of youth providers, advocates, and other experts to collaborate on youth development issues across agencies and funding streams. In addition, she assists the National Transitional Jobs Network in advancing its Youth Transitional Jobs (TJ) Strategy by researching best practices, recruiting key stakeholders, and promoting the Youth TJ Strategy among network members and other entities. Andy received her Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Chris Giangreco, Policy Coordinator - cgiangreco@heartlandalliance.org
Chris serves as the lead in coordinating asset building policy and supporting Heartland's role as co-chair of the Illinois Asset Building Group. He works to connect Heartland's policy efforts with asset-building programming. He has experience in coalition-building, developing and advancing policy proposals, and research and evaluation in a variety of areas - health, transportation, housing, and environmental policy. He has also worked as a case manager with the Division of Family Services in Missouri. Chris received his PhD through the sociology program at Loyola University Chicago with a focus on policy implementation.

Research Staff

Amy Terpstra, Research Associate - aterpstra@heartlandalliance.org
Amy works on the annual Illinois Poverty Summit’s Report on Illinois Poverty, conducting much of the research and writing for the report, as well as for supplemental briefs and other fact sheets. Amy tracks state and county data for multiple indicators of poverty and coordinates external poverty-related data requests. She also serves as MAIP’s publication manager. Amy received her Master of Social Work degree, with a concentration in community and administrative practice, from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Alyssa Nogaski , Research Assistant - maipassociate8@heartlandalliance.org
Alyssa works on the Supportive Housing study, looking at costs related to homelessness vs. supportive housing. She is also working on wrapping up the evaluation of the Stepping Up Program, a career certificate program. Alyssa is a second-year graduate student in UIC's social work program, concentrating in community health and urban development.

National Transitional Jobs Network (NTJN) Staff

Melissa Young, NTJN Coordinator myoung@heartlandalliance.org
Melissa coordinates the over 200 Transitional Jobs programs and policy organizations that comprise the NTJN. She manages the Network's efforts to provide technical assistance, to strengthen existing and emerging programs, and to translate the lessons learned at the local level into federal policy. Melissa received her MA from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.

Andrea Ray, Youth Policy Associate - aray@heartlandalliance.org
Andrea (Andy) coordinates the Illinois Youth - Ready for Life Teen Poverty and Youth Development Project, which includes engaging youth in identifying needs, challenges, and opportunities for systemic change as well as in impacting the policy making process. Also, she convenes a multidisciplinary group of youth providers, advocates, and other experts to collaborate on youth development issues across agencies and funding streams. In addition, she assists the National Transitional Jobs Network in advancing its Youth Transitional Jobs (TJ) Strategy by researching best practices, recruiting key stakeholders, and promoting the Youth TJ Strategy among network members and other entities. Andy received her Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Michelle Wilczynski , NTJN Associate Coordinator - maipassociate6@heartlandalliance.org
Michelle assists the NTJN on multiple projects, including the monthly newsletter, regular updates to the NTJN website, and other communications material. She is working to help the NTJN expand its policy presence in advocating for legislation that impacts TJ populations. Michelle is a second-year graduate student at the Universty of Chicago School of Social Service Administration.

Maureen Ryan, NTJN Associate Coordinator - maipassociate4@heartlandalliance.org
Maureen aids the NTJN by providing content for the monthly newsletter and lending support for ongoing projects. In the past she has worked as a case manager at the Marjorie Kovler Center, as a medical social worker at Mercy Homecare and Hospice, and as a staff assistant for Senator Tom Harkin. Maureen is a second year graduate student at the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago.