In this episode you meet Arshele Stevens, CEO of Girls Inc. of Chicago. Arshele is a seasoned not-for-profit executive, a champion of and leader in urban education and a veteran expert in the traditionally male IT industry. As a girl, she was raised to challenge limitations and now as the mother of an amazingly strong, smart and bold daughter, —Stevens is deeply connected to Girls Inc.’s unparalleled commitment to empower girls to success.
In her most recent role as president of Kennedy-King College, she led the organization to reaccreditation with the Higher Learning Commission and spearheaded efforts to secure over $1.2 in development funding to supplement the college’s operating budget. During her tenure, degrees awarded increased by 14% and the number of students transferring to 4-year institutions grew 11%.
Prior to her appointment as president, Stevens served as the Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer at City Colleges. In that role Stevens oversaw the provision of technology for the City College of Chicago’s seven campuses and six satellite sites that together serve more than 115,000 students and approximately 5,500 faculty and staff. She previously served as the Chief Information Officer for Chicago Public Schools—leading approximately 300 staff who supported all things IT for nearly a half million users across over 700 unique locations. During her time there she managed the 21st century upgrade of CPS’ administrative systems creating a more collaborative educational environment and diminishing barriers between CPS families and access to technology resources.
Stevens holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She currently serves as a board member for Friends and Family Health Center. She is married to Craig and they have two children; Tristan and Raegan.
In this episode we discuss:
- The difference between how men negotiate salary and how women negotiate.
- The two ways in which Black women quit when they feel they are being mistreated.
- The importance of being honest at work.
- What the absence of joy in your work may mean.
Enjoy!
view more