Mackenzie serves as Senior Specialist for Delta's Finance and Operations Department, and provides interdepartmental support to Delta staff, specializing in HR, accounting, operations, and executive assistance. Prior to joining Delta, Mackenzie worked for a financial management services company that specialized in real estate investment. She has a B.S. in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Sciences with a certification in Professional Event Management from Texas A&M University. In her free time, Mackenzie enjoys camping and tries to visit at least one national park a year. She also enjoys hanging out with her dog, Quincy, eating Mexican food, and traveling home to visit her family in Texas.
Lucas Chamberlain serves as Senior Specialist, Programs. Prior to joining Delta Institute, Lucas worked as a farm manager and a soil ecologist for the Chicago Botanic Garden and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also served as a Science Communications Fellow and volunteer research assistant for the John G. Shedd Aquarium. He is also a member of the Soil Science Society of America. He earned his BS in Anthropology from Illinois State University and his MS in Plant Biology and Conservation from Northwestern University. His soil health research was recently published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. Lucas grew up in Central Illinois and has an extensive agricultural background. He loves to play music and spend time at Lake Michigan with his wife and their dog, Dottie.
Gillian supports programs work across a spectrum of projects with a focus in agriculture and geospatial analysis. Prior to joining Delta, Gillian was a lab manager and project coordinator, working on interdisciplinary research projects supporting agricultural conservation. She served as a volunteer lead for The Nature Conservancy in Ohio, leading preserve maintenance efforts, environmental education, and conducting community outreach efforts in urban areas. Gillian holds a B.A. in Political Science, specializing in Democracy & Law, and an M.S. in Environmental Studies from The Ohio State University. She is a graduate of the Emerging Leaders Program and the current secretary of the Illinois chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, reading old books, cooking, and lounging with her cat, Poco.
Sidney (Sid) serves as Delta's Chief Development Officer, and oversees organizational external relations, fundraising, board relations, and marketing. He is responsible for monitoring and evaluating donor relations for grant-supported work and engaging Delta’s array of donors and governing Board of Directors; he has solicited $100M+ on behalf of Delta. He manages departmental functions and is the point person for media relations and online promotion efforts. Sid has 20 years of resource development experience and previously served as development director for a small regenerative farming and food safety nonprofit, a gifts officer for Heartland Alliance for Human Rights & Human Needs, and in steadily increasing development roles for multiple Chicago-based social service agencies since 2006. He is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Mongolia; was adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago; and has been a presenter for the Axelson Center since 2014. He has his BA in Communications from Saint Louis University and MA in Social Justice from Loyola University Chicago. Sid was born and raised in Illinois’ coal country, and lived on a commodity crop farm. He is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), and a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Chicago Area Peace Corps Association. He is frequently a tired dad.
As Chief Financial Officer for Delta Institute, Helen is responsible for all of the financial, administrative and operational aspects of the organization as well as C-suite level leadership. She brings more than 15 years of experience in a leadership capacity in accounting and administration in the nonprofit, government, and private sectors. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Helen holds a B.S. in Accounting from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee and M.S. from Keller University in Accounting and Financial Management. In her spare time, she loves football and traveling.
Dean Lim serves as a Senior Associate, Programs, at Delta Institute, where he supports initiatives across Delta’s three program areas. Prior to joining Delta, Dean worked as a Project Engineer and Estimator, managing construction projects across various sectors, including healthcare and data centers. He holds a B.S in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a primary concentration in Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dean enjoys playing soccer with friends, catching live concerts, and biking around the City of Chicago.
Patrick joined Delta Institute in 2019 and currently serves as Delta’s Senior Director of Donor Stewardship, a role in which he leads individual giving, events management, digital marketing, earned revenue development, and the Delta Emerging Leaders associate board. He previously served as Development and Alumni Relations Director for the George M. Pullman Educational Foundation and as Associate Director for Communications at the Midwest Augustinians. He holds an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Spertus College and is a doctoral candidate in the field of organizational leadership at Adler University. The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance has certified Patrick as an Advanced Certified Nonprofit Professional (ACNP). He volunteers as a member of the Community Partnership Council for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and recently volunteered on the auxiliary board at the National Museum of Mexican Art.
Jenny B. Par serves as Senior Associate, Programs, for Delta and is is involved in conducting research, engaging in community outreach, and implementing spatial analysis to increase the impact of Delta’s work in communities throughout the Midwest. Before joining Delta in 2022, Jenny previously worked as a lead (Pb) risk assessor for the Milwaukee Health Department, conducting lead inspections and assessments to prevent childhood lead poisoning in the city. Jenny has a B.S in Environmental Science from Loyola University Chicago and a M.S in Sustainability Management from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. During her free time, Jenny enjoys hiking, camping, listening to podcasts, and collecting postcards and stickers from her travels. She also loves spending time with her two dogs.
As the Senior Lead for Delta’s Environmental Finance Center for EPA Region 5, Willy draws on his background in environmental engineering and policy to help communities address their water infrastructure needs. Before joining Delta, Willy served in several roles at an engineering consulting firm – design engineer, construction engineer, funding administrator, design manager, and project manager. Wearing those different hats, Willy has helped municipal utilities, landfills, and food and beverage companies with wastewater compliance, renewable energy projects, biosolids management, and more. Willy has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado and an M.S. in Environmental Policy from the University of Michigan. In his personal time, Willy loves checking out local concerts, running on Chicago’s lakeshore and forest preserve trails, rock climbing, and snowboarding.
Katherine is responsible for administering the financial and operational aspects of the organization and assisting with grant management and I.T. She has worked in non-profits for her entire career, including a family foundation, a university, and smaller programmatic organizations, totaling 25 years of experience in the field. Katherine grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and stayed in Chicago after receiving her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Chicago. She loves sewing and catching up on TV and movies.
Jeff Williams, Ed.D., M.B.A., is serving as the organization's Interim CEO and Strategic Programmatic Advisor through his capacity as Director, Consulting Services, for the
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University. In his role at the Johnson Center, Jeff leads a team of researchers, evaluators, database experts, and web developers who provide insights into nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and activities. With expertise in operations, strategy, data analytics, and public policy, Jeff is passionate about connecting data to people to action. Jeff has 30+ years of relevant experience in the nonprofit sector and has authored more than 40 research reports and publications. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Michigan State University, a Master of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota, an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan, and an Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He holds professional certifications in project management (PMP) and information systems security (CISSP). Jeff is a long-term friend and partner to Delta Institute. Jeff has held executive leadership roles at
Public Sector Consultants, a nonpartisan public policy firm and long-term project collaborator of Delta Institute's. He has also served as the founding executive director of
Michigan Saves, a nonprofit organization which Delta helped concept and scale up; it is dedicated to making energy improvements easier. Further, Jeff previously served on Delta's governing Board of Directors, including as our Board Treasurer, and has provided Delta with trusted, steadfast guidance for nearly 20 years.
Jamie serves as a Lead on Delta Institute's programmatic team, bringing over a decade of experience in environmental advocacy, climate adaptation, and community development to support the equitable implementation of green infrastructure and nature-based climate solutions. At Delta, she leads projects focused on urban forestry, habitat restoration, and climate resilience, working with local governments, parks departments, and community partners to address environmental challenges and advance community priorities.Prior to joining Delta, Jamie worked on the Land Use and Development team at Smart Growth America in Washington, DC, helping communities address environmental justice, housing affordability, and car-dependent development. Earlier in her career, she supported energy assurance and climate action planning in Northern California as a CivicSpark AmeriCorps Fellow and worked on climate change and wildlife advocacy initiatives at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Chicago. Jamie holds a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an M.S. in Sustainable Urban Planning and Design from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.
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