Melanie Sillas
President at Chicago State Foundation
- Role
- President at Chicago State Foundation
- Location
- Chicago, IL, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Melanie Sillas
Melanie Sillas is a dedicated public service professional with over 15 years of experience spanning the nonprofit, higher education, and government sectors. In recent years, her focus has been on higher education fundraising, where she has specialized in formalizing development operations and implementing best practices to drive sustainable growth.As the Executive Director of the Chicago State Foundation, Melanie draws on her personal journey as a first-generation college student to fuel her passion for mentorship and community empowerment. Inspired by the mentors who supported her own path to success, she is deeply committed to creating opportunities for others.Before joining the Chicago State Foundation, Melanie served as Vice President of Membership and Development at Chicago United. In that role, she oversaw the recruitment and engagement of nearly 100 member companies and led the planning of the organization’s largest annual event.Melanie’s career includes progressively senior fundraising roles at several prominent organizations, including World Business Chicago, the University of Chicago, the Chicago Urban League, and Chicago Youth Centers. Her leadership is marked by a strong commitment to equity, collaboration, and impact-driven development.Melanie Sillas serves on the board of Ladies of Virtue, a mentoring and leadership training organization for Black girls ages 9-18. Her leadership skills have been recognized. HushLoudly named her as a part of the “Gamechangers: Introverts to Watch in 2023”. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and enjoys baking and running in her spare time. She received her BA in English from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, a MS in Public Service Management from DePaul University, and a Certificate in Fundraising Management from North Park University. Specialties: nonprofits, grant writing, event planning
Experience
President
Sep 2025 — Present · Chicago, IL, US
Education
DePaul University
Master of Science, Public Service Management
2006 — 2008
National Urban League/Duke Corporate Education Emerging Leaders Program
Certificate of Completion, Executive Leadership
2016 — 2016
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Bachelor of Arts, English
2001 — 2005
Skills
- Program Management
- Leadership
- Grant Writing
- Program Development
- Teaching
- Event Planning
- Microsoft Office
- Nonprofits
- Strategic Planning
- Fundraising
- Grants
- Community Outreach
- Community Development
- Volunteer Management
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Program Evaluation
- Non-Profits
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