Akilah Halley

Akilah Halley (she/her), a Marwen alum, was appointed Executive Director in October 2018. Previously, she served as Marwen's Deputy Director and a member of the Board of Directors for eight years. Akilah's experience focuses on human-centered strategies for social change through youth and community development. Her past roles include leading communications and family engagement with Crown Family Philanthropies, marketing with Urban Gateways, and external relations with Chicago Public Schools. She is a member of Chicago's Cultural Advisory Council and an alum of the Sorkin Center Children Leadership Program and National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program. Akilah served on Mayor Lightfoot's Arts and Culture Transition Committee Co-Chair and is a former co-chair of Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy. She holds a graduate degree in design planning from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology and a BFA in industrial design from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.