About ConTextos Chicago

We believe.

In Chicago, like any place with epidemics of violence, geographic areas do not determine violent behaviors, nor does race, gender or class. Rather, like a virus, victimization begets victimization. Most violence is not arbitrary, but a reflection of trauma: hurt begets hurt—those who are hurt will hurt others. Our theory of change is based on healing, not punishment. We believe in consequences, but also compassion. Individuals must develop the social emotional skills to confront their past and the constant traumas around them in order to participate in effective communities, healthy relationships and the workforce.

Cook County Department of Corrections

We work with juveniles and adults who are awaiting trial and accused of, or have been sentenced for violent offenses.

Community-Based Organizations and Workforce Development

Reaching young people and young-at-heart from Englewood, Gage Park, Roseland/Pullman, Brighton Park, North Lawndale, West Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, Auburn-Gresham, and Austin currently on probation, house arrest, just leaving jail or prison, or at elevated risk of violence involvement.

Chicago Public Schools

In schools, we provide direct implementation and focus on teacher training to ensure sustainability of best-practices that lift up all voices.

Learn More About our Programs in These Places

Number of Published Authors

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County
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Community

“I feel as if ConTextos has provided an extremely effective way for us men to open up about certain things we wouldn’t normally share amongst anyone”


-Tim Cox
Author and Co-Facilitator for our Monthly Poetry Circle

Program Sites

Team Members

Johnny Page

Executive Director

[email protected]

Bio
Johnny Page

Johnny Page is the Executive Director at ConTextos. He is a formerly incarcerated professional, speaker, author, anti-violence educator, and advocate. He’s committed to fighting for the right of access to higher education for the incarcerated and creating pathways for the formerly incarcerated on traditional campuses. Johnny is the Co-Founder of C.A.V.E. (Community Anti-Violence Education) an intergenerational community-based support system for those who are affected by trauma.

Lisa Kenner

Director of Programs

[email protected]

Bio
Lisa Kenner

Lisa Kenner is a seasoned leader who has dedicated her career to providing transformational educational opportunities to children, families, and communities. Operating with a collaborative mindset and with vision and passion, Lisa founded and led a successful single-site charter school for 12 years in North Lawndale. She thrives in community-based work and has earned the trust and respect of students, families, staff, funders, board members, and community stakeholders.

Trevor Lester aka "YT"

Alumni Advocate and Facilitator

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Bio
Trevor Lester aka "YT"

Trevor Lester aka YT from the Southside of Chicago, At the age of 20 Was incarcerated for murder and spent 8 years in Cook County Jail awaiting Trial before The charges were dropped. Now a Contextos Alumni Advocate, Published Author, and Author Circle Facilitator, YT is Focused on Using his Unique Journey of Empowerment to Inspire The Youth as well as his peers while continuing to be a voice for the voiceless.

Kenneth Davis aka "Spankey"

Alumni Advocate 

[email protected]

Jonathan Ivory

Alumni Author and Facilitator

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Bio
Jonathan Ivory

Jonathan Ivory is a facilitator at Contextos Chicago. While being detained in Cook county Department of Corrections he participated in and published writings in Authors Circle. After going to trial and being found innocent he was released. While his life was irreparably altered by the injustice in the legal system his sense of hope and optimism remain inspiring and inspired. He now mentors youth in CPS Schools and young adults in community centers.

Vanessa Kucera

Director of Finance and Operation

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Bio
Vanessa Kucera
Vanessa joined ConTextos in 2019 as our bookkeeper and office manager. She brings nearly twenty years of experience in finance and operations in the real estate and construction industries in the southeastern US, where her roles included financial analysis and strategy, insurance and risk management, environmental and saftey compliance, and human resources management. She has also worked extensively with nonprofits in volunteer and paid leadership roles, as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at Atlanta-based Living Room and as a grant writer and reviewer. Most recently, she was the Impact Manager at Chicago’s Silk Road Rising, a community-centered artmaking and arts service organization rooted in Asian, Middle Eastern, and Muslim experiences. She is currently completing a Master of Public Health degree at UIC, with a focus on community health.

Natalie Chevalier

Financial Operations Associate

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Bio
Natalie Chevalier
Natalie joined the ConTextos team in 2023. She received both her Bachelor's degree in International Studies and Master's in Public Administration in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Natalie has worked with organizations in a variety of focus areas including international youth education, workforce development, and community engagement. She's a fierce advocate for human-centered philosophy and enthusiast for all things related to organizational administration. She can often be found diving into random research rabbit holes, reading, and crafting. 

Dimitri Hepburn

Director of Communications

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Bio
Dimitri Hepburn

Dimitri is an Authors Circle facilitator and digital media producer at ConTextos. He believes that the understanding gained by a thorough examination of the world around us, as experienced from multiple perspectives, is fundamental to the shared success of all people. Born in the Bahamas and raised in the Bronx, Dimitri has grown deep roots in Chicago where he helps create opportunities to learn, explore, and tell stories about the world and ourselves, stories that provide fertile ground for empathy and understanding.

Luz Magdaleno Flores

Art and Marketing Specialist

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Bio
Luz Magdaleno Flores

Luz Magdaleno Flores started at ConTextos in 2021. She is ConTextos' Art & Marketing Specialist.

She is a Chicana content creator, poet, artist, and fotógrafa based in Pilsen by way of Oxnard, California, also known as DJ Light of Your Vida. She does this work to inspire youngsters of color to create and believe in the worth of their stories.

dr. sharon moore

Program Manager and Author's Circle Facilitator

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Bio
dr. sharon moore

dr. moore is an Authors’ Circle facilitator and helps to coordinate programs and curriculum development. dr. moore believes that everyone is a creator, for we create ourselves every day. She is committed to walking alongside others on their journeys of self-exploration. dr. moore brings empathy, openness, honesty, and love into this shared space of communion, self-reflection, exploration, and healing.

Kali Rose

Sponsored Programs Coordinator


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Bio
Kali Rose

Kali Rose, a Triple Virgo, born and raised in Kansas City, MO. Moved to Chicago in 2016, to attend Columbia College Chicago, where she graduated with her Bachelors in Cinematic Arts + Science. She is an actress, author, director, and photographer. She is also a teacher in the surrounding neighborhoods of Chicago where she helps mentor and give back to the youth and underprivileged communities. As Program Manager, Kali hopes to continue to build and strengthen her relationship with the youth, create safe spaces, and opportunities that will lead to their personal and interpersonal growth. 

Naimah Thomas

Publication Design and Author's Circle Facilitator

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Bio
Naimah Thomas

Naimah is a Black femme born and raised in Chicago who currently works as a licensed professional counselor, art therapist, and artist. Her clinical work and art practice often explore the intersections of art and mental health, primarily in Black and Brown communities.

She utilizes art to shift narratives around healing, mental health, and creating spaces where exploration and re-imagination are valued. Most of her visual work is informed by her lived experiences as a Black woman, artist, and therapist. Naimah's art practice focuses on utilizing mixed media, illustration, and technology to spark creativity and space for exploration.

Naimah has had the opportunity to work with a range of people across the lifespan in community, correctional, and nonprofit settings. She received her master’s in art therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Columbia College Chicago.

Sandra Avelar

Monitoring/Evaluation and Learning Specialist

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Bio
Kalief Dinkins

Sandra Avelar is a public health researcher with experience in community-based participatory research design and mixed-methods evaluation. She received her masters in public health at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health in 2022. Some of her previous work has been in occupational health-related research in Little Village and North Lawndale. Having been involved in various community-based participatory research projects, Sandra is passionate about her work and strives to implement equitable collaboration, authentic community engagement, advocacy, and social justice principles in her practice. She is the proud daughter of two Mexican immigrants and a strong advocate for collective and community healing. Her personal belief system is embedded in empathy and understanding

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