Ben works to focus the overall development of LIFT’s operations in the greater Chicago area, and supports the work of five local Site Coordinators.
Ben earned his M.S.W. from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration. He provided mental health treatment to individuals living on the South Side of Chicago, and conducted policy research for the City of Chicago Mayor's Office. Ben also received a human rights grant from the University of Chicago to travel to Namibia to support UNICEF with initiatives aimed at combating violence against women and children. This was Ben’s third time in Namibia in a social service capacity.
Prior to graduate school Ben spent five years with LifeWorks, NW conducting outreach and home visits to families referred by the State of Oregon's Child Welfare Hotline, and working with a program that provided free psycho-educational groups to children who witnessed domestic violence. It was with LifeWorks that Ben gained experience in strengths based programming, and witnessed the impact of services in which community members voluntarily choose to participate.
Ben earned a Bachelors degree in Comparative Sociology from the University of Puget Sound; community service was a pillar of Ben’s undergrad experience, and is another reason that he connects so strongly to LIFT’s model.
