Michelle Morales, President
Michelle Morales is the President of the Woods Fund Chicago and a first-generation U.S.-born Puerto Rican. Her career has been dedicated to youth development, alternative education, and educational justice. For 16 years, Michelle organized in Chicago’s Puerto Rican community, advocating for community development, educational and economic justice, Puerto Rican independence, and against the rapid gentrification of her neighborhood. She also co-coordinated an international campaign to secure the release of 14 Puerto Rican political prisoners held in U.S. prisons.
At Woods Fund, Michelle leads a team that has restructured the foundation’s infrastructure to center racial justice and adopt a trust-based philanthropy framework. Under her leadership, the foundation increased its payout to 11% in 2023.
Michelle draws on her diverse career experiences and her identity as a first-generation U.S.-born Puerto Rican woman to amplify awareness on critical issues, including the power of youth voices, the systemic marginalization of youth of color, the importance of community-driven decision-making, colonialism in Puerto Rico, and the diasporic experiences of colonized peoples in the United States. She is also a vocal advocate for racially equitable workplaces, urging organizations to apply a racial equity and justice lens both externally and internally.
Michelle holds a B.A. in Latin American/Latino Studies from DePaul University, an M.Ed. in Special Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University. She was appointed co-chair of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s transition team and to the Chicago Board of Education. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at Northeastern Illinois University. Michelle is a mother, stepmother, wife, eldest daughter, and proud "fur-mami" to three dogs.