About Us

Our team tackles complex issues and addresses organizational change through anti-racist practices, relational strategies, and responsive design.

Each of us approaches this work with a love of learning and a history of serving young people, educators, and community practitioners. We seek partnerships that are rooted in a desire to reimagine liberatory practices and transform the communities we serve.

OUR APPROACH

WHAT WE DO

We design relational strategies & learning opportunities that promote dialogue, self-reflection, and relationship building. We guide our partners through a responsive process aimed at transforming individual and institutional practices

Mentors

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Educators

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Facilitators

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Caregivers

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Artists

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Student Advocates

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Change Makers

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LGBTQIA+ Advocates

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Mentors ⋆ Educators ⋆ Facilitators ⋆ Caregivers ⋆ Artists ⋆ Student Advocates ⋆ Change Makers ⋆ LGBTQIA+ Advocates ⋆

WE ARE

Our Team

As a Black & Brown, Queer and Trans led team we utilize an intersectional approach that integrates our lived experiences  and the lived experiences of the  communities we serve. We are experienced at facilitating “hard conversations” and we are ready to push our partners to dig just a little bit deeper.

 
 

Founder + Equity Strategist

Emilia Chico, PhD.

Emilia Chico comes to this work with a desire to build partnerships that are rooted in a love of learning and a commitment to disrupting systems of oppression. As an experienced facilitator, educator, and youth advocate, Emilia has spent the last 15 years cultivating meaningful learning opportunities and designing responsive strategies. Emilia is skilled at large and small group facilitation and develops curriculum on a variety of topics including, community asset mapping, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and intergroup dialogue. 

  • Emilia has managed large scale projects, including multi-tiered strategies aimed at creating equitable policies and practices. Emilia holds degrees in Education & Human Development & Learning and served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Emilia identifies as a queer, non-binary, person of color, with Mexican roots from Chicago’s southeast side, land originally inhabited by the Council of the Three Fires – Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations. Emilia enjoys sitting around a fire, sharing a hot pot of coffee with friends & family, dreaming of a liberated future.

EDUCATOR + Evaluation Strategist

Ceily Moore, M.Ed.

A natural leader and facilitator, Ceily earned a Master's in Youth Development from UIC in 2019 and is a PhD student in Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Her work focuses on the implementation and evaluation of culturally responsive-sustaining and social-emotional learning practices both in and out of school and its impact on identity development among Black youth.

  • Ceily is a dedicated and experienced educator, evaluator, and facilitator determined to improve in and out of school experiences for youth. Ceily began her professional career by serving as an elementary school math and science teacher then transitioned to non-profit management. Ceily’s highly intentional approach and understanding of the use of data have helped her in her roles in education and social service organizations.

Scholar Practitioner + Advocacy Strategist

Jordan “JT” Turner

JT Turner has worked for over a decade in higher education, primarily in roles supporting marginalized students. As a scholar practitioner, their work has focused on building systems and structures that unburden people navigating multiple forms of oppression specifically at the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. As an advocate, JT is interested in disrupting spaces that historically have been marginalizing and working with communities to reimagine and move toward more liberatory practices. JT identifies as Black, nonbinary, queer, and from the U.S South.

  • Previous to working as a consultant, JT Turner worked for over a decade in higher education, including their Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center at The University of Illinois Chicago. They have held leadership roles with The Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals, an advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ practitioners in higher education and student affairs, as well as ACPA's Commission for Social Justice Educators. They hold degrees in sociology and american studies as well as a masters in education.

Advisor + Engagement Strategist

PuraCarina Gonzalez

PuraCarina born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago has committed her professional career  supporting and amplifying equitable educational experiences for Black and brown students. Fueled by her own lived experiences, PuraCarina is an advocate for holistic student development including equal access to quality and culturally inclusive education, representative mentorship, and opportunities that elevate student’s perception of home and the boundaries that surround it.

  • Currently in her role as Senior Director of Program Innovation, PuraCarina leads One Million Degrees’ program expansion efforts with the City Colleges of Chicago. Prior to OMD, PuraCarina worked with City Year Chicago, Peer Health Exchange-Chicago and the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago. PuraCarina graduated from The University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a proud Posse Chicago and SURGE Fellowship alumnae.

  • "The Chico Consulting Group brilliantly and thoughtfully designed and facilitated DEI workshops for hundreds of our organization's volunteer mentors. The challenging curriculum and reflective dialogue helped individuals to walk away with a better understanding of identities, systemic oppression, how they may uphold privilege, and ways they can push back against inequities."

    Xavier Mann, Director of Strategic Initiative, One Million Degrees

  • "Thanks to the intention and compassion of Emilia and Ceily we were able to define what mattered to us and learn the best ways to measure it, while keeping our team and the people impacted by our work centered in the process. I am excited to say that we gained tangible tools and curated protocols, in addition to wise confidantes through this journey."

    Ana Agarrat, Associate Director, AMPT: Advancing Nonprofits

  • "Emilia is an incredible facilitator—she commands the room with ease and grace and can shepherd any group through the toughest conversations about identity and conflict."

    Rico Blancaflor, Principal, Third Settlements

  • "Chico Consulting Partners truly live what they preach. I appreciate that they incorporate community and relationship building into their work, and create space for reflection which is so important in this work. They supported us through our Evaluation Design with so much intentionality and detail!"

    Jazmin Ocampo, Program Manager, AMPT: Advancing Nonprofits

  • "Emilia is a sublime facilitator. With a wise and thoughtful approach to difficult situations, Emilia knows how to cultivate psychological safety and bring a group forward in a way that benefits individuals and the collective work they have sought out to accomplish. Emilia is one of the best facilitators I’ve had the privilege of being in community with and I’m sure other colleagues feel the same way."

    Chirag “Chee” Menon, Principal, Third Settlements

  • "Zebra Technologies Talent Acquisition/Early Careers team has had the privilege to partner with Emilia Chico regarding Inclusion & Diversity initiatives and events for our Zebra Interns over the past few years. Emilia is a true partner. Here at Zebra, we very much enjoy partnering and working with Emilia."

    Marissa Rosner, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner, Zebra Technologies

  • "The CCG team is a fantastic partner to work with for a number of reasons. They are highly skilled in their work as subject matter experts, evaluators, researchers, session facilitators, and strategic planning partners. In addition, they are individually wonderful people who always enter into this difficult and complex field with care, intentionality, and with love.”

    — Steven Rosado & Fausto Lopez, The Praxis Institute

A WORD FROM OUR FOUNDER

“This work was born out of a need to support educators in embracing youth development theories and strengthening youth-adult partnerships. I have worked alongside school leaders, youth practitioners, and educators who envision radical transformation. As a scholar activist I bridge theory to practice and am committed to designing inclusive strategies and creating liberated learning spaces. I’m a dreamer. Let's dream together!"

Contact

Think we might be a good fit for your next phase of work? Reach out — we’d love to talk details and see how we can help.

We have multiple models of engagement: We can work directly with individuals for private engagements, partner with leaders on organizational endeavors, or simply be involved in the planning process. No project is too small, but we generally prefer to work in sprints with a 3-6 month minimum duration. If you have any questions or ideas, we’d be happy to schedule a consultation.