Mary Morten and Morten Group
Ms. Morten is the President of Morten Group (MG), a consulting firm specializing in social change through skills development, public policy and advocacy. Morten Group focuses on organizational and resource development including workshops on diversity and building communities of inclusion and access; executive coaching and succession planning; board recruitment and retention; and film and video development.
Ms. Morten was one of the original team consultants for the Women's Funding Network's report: Smart Growth: A Life–Stage Model for Social Change Philanthropy. For the past several years, Ms. Morten has presented workshops on the report and model.
Ms. Morten is the immediate past Director of the Office of Violence Prevention for the Chicago Department of Public Health. In this position, Ms. Morten was responsible for the citywide implementation of the violence prevention plan: Prevent Violence! Chicago. Prior to this position, Ms. Morten was an appointee for Mayor Richard M. Daley and served as the Director/Liaison for the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. Ms. Morten has B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in radio and television from Loyola University of Chicago.
Previous positions include associate director, interim executive director and board president of Chicago Foundation for Women, the region’s largest women’s fund. Ms. Morten also served as executive vice president for the Women's Self-Employment Project, and director of programs for the Midwest Women's Center.
Ms. Morten is a past honoree for Crain's Chicago Business Annual 40 Under 40 list, which recognizes outstanding leadership and accomplishments by individuals under 40 years of age.
Recent acknowledgements include: In 2007, the Visionary Award from Rape Victim Advocates, Women's Bar Association Community Service Award and in 2004, Ms. Morten received Changing the Face of Philanthropy Award from the Women's Funding Network. Ms. Morten is a past appointee to the Illinois Governor's Commission on the Status of Women. In 2001, Ms. Morten received the Anita Dee Harper Award for exemplary dedication and service to under-served and at risk women and girls by the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights Women's Board. Additional honors have been received from the Small Business Association, Illinois NOW, and Affinity Community Services.
Ms. Morten is a chairperson for the Illinois Center for Violence Prevention Leadership Council, a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Donors Forum of Chicago and the Association of Non-Profit Consultants.
Keisha Farmer-Smith, Ph.D., has partnered with organizations dedicated to supporting safe space for youth, intergenerational knowledge building and youth-led social action for the past 11 years. Her interest in this work stems from a passionate belief that young people hold the energy, creativity, talent and intelligence to create positive change in their communities, schools, homes and lives.
Keisha enjoys working with youth in Education, Child Welfare and Youth Development fields. She is a founding board member of the Chicago Freedom School and a former board member at Women and Girls Collective Action Network. She has served as a Manager of an asset based, female-specific, youth development program that partners with young women and girls aged 10 to 19 in leadership development, community awareness, service and social change work for the past five years.
Keisha's qualitative research involves use of feminist standpoint and asset-based theories in community work with girls and women. Keisha is a 2010 Berkowitz Award winner for Outstanding Service to Children and was also awarded the 2009 Chicago Girl’s Coalition Activist, Advocate, Ally Award.
Tom Hartman has raised more than $25 million dollars over the past 16 years as a development professional. He has served as Director of Development for a homeless service organization and an HIV/AIDS organization. During his 16-year career, he has worked for the AIDS Pastoral Care Network, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, the Center on Halsted and Refugee One.
As a freelance consultant, he has worked with the Howard Brown Health Center, International Chamber Artists, the National Workrights Institute in New Jersey, the Sisters of Providence White Violet Center and for three independent artists. He serves on the Board of Directors for GayCo Productions, where he volunteers his services as grant writer. He has also done pro bono congregational fundraising for the Second Unitarian Church of Chicago.
Marisol C. Ybarra, MA is former director of leadership development at Chicago Foundation for Women, where she managed the growth of five identity-based giving circles designed to engage diverse women in philanthropy. She developed and produced leadership development workshops to support their respective missions.
Marisol's interest in this work began while she was completing her BA at Wayne State University where she minored in women's studies. She then went on to DePaul University to pursue her master's degree in women and gender studies.
Marisol sits on the board of directors at Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation and is a committee member for Project Latina of the Voices and Faces Project. She is an associate producer/community engagement director for the documentary, 'Woke Up Black'. She currently resides in Queens, New York and is originally from Detroit, MI.
MORTEN GROUP 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY - Photo Gallery
