Announcement of Appointment

Amina Dickerson, board member and former board chair, has assumed the position of Interim President of the Woods Fund of Chicago effective July 1.  This appointment comes as Woods Fund continues its search for a new president to succeed Grace Hou, who served for seven years before she was recruited by Governor Pritzker to serve as Secretary for Human Services (DHS) for the State of Illinois.  Hina Mahmood, who served as Interim President until June 30, recently joined DHS at the invitation of the Secretary.

Dickerson lead global philanthropic programs at Kraft Foods, funding initiatives focused on food insecurity, domestic violence, education and the arts.  She held executive posts with Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art, Chicago Historical Society and DuSable Museum of African American History. She is founder of Dickerson Global Advisors, a practice which provides executive and leadership coaching services, with a focus on nonprofit and next-gen leaders.  As a consultant and strategist, she works with philanthropic and non-profit organizations on stewardship, board and organizational development, capacity building and strategic partnerships.

Dickerson's civic work includes board service for the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation and the Women's Funding Network. Her work has been recognized with awards from Chicago Cultural Alliance, Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE), CAAIP, Chicago Women in Philanthropy and the National Museum of Mexican Art, among others. She is included in the HistoryMakers national video archives of outstanding African American leaders, and the American University Alumni Hall of Fame. She also served as Distinguished Visitor with the John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and was a Newberry Library Fellow.

Dickerson studied theater at Emerson College, holds a M.A. in arts management from the American University, and certificates from Harvard University (arts management), the Center for Creative Leadership and CTI (coaching).   She resides in the South Shore community with her husband, Julian Roberts.