Jonathan Chaparro is the Founding Site Director for Braven in Chicago. Prior to this role, Jonathan served as the Network Student Recruitment Manager for the Noble Network of Charter Schools, where he worked with a team of 18 recruiters to expand educational opportunities for middle and high school students throughout Chicago as part of one of the highest performing charter networks in the country. A native of Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods, Jonathan deeply understands the role that education can play on the path to upward economic mobility. Jonathan has quickly become a civic and philanthropic leader in his city, having held leadership roles on the auxiliary boards of various nonprofits in the area, including KIPP Chicago, Friends of the Parks and One Million Degrees. He also partnered with the Chicago office of McKinsey & Co to support their GetSet program. Most recently, he served on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Rowing Union, the Midwest’s one and only LGBTQ+ rowing organization and one of few such clubs in the world. He also serves as the Illinois Field Director for the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.
Jonathan’s passion for increasing opportunity and educational outcomes started soon after he graduated from the University of Iowa in 2008 and accepted a position with Teach For America (TFA) – a national corps committed to recruiting top college graduates to serve as educators in the nation’s most promising neighborhoods. As a corps member, he served as a literacy instructor for K-8 students in Chicago and completed a master’s in teaching at Dominican University. Jonathan later worked with TFA’s national recruitment team and grew to serve as the Midwest regional recruitment director, where he managed recruitment efforts in five states and focused on brand awareness and recruitment strategy. This same passion for increasing opportunity led Jonathan to work in the corporate sector at ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel manufacturer and a Global 500 company. At ArcelorMittal, he served as the process manager for talent acquisition and development – leading the campus recruitment efforts for U.S. operations. During his tenure at ArcerlorMittal, Jonathan played a role in launching a national partnership that increased the recruitment and professional development of female engineers. Jonathan Chaparro is a skilled and visionary leader committed toward expanding opportunities for those historically disenfranchised. With a focus on people and program management, he delivers results in the areas of recruitment, branding, coaching, team culture and dynamics, and leadership development. In his spare time, he is an avid rower, runner and Iowa Hawkeye fan. He is actively involved at his alma mater, most recently being appointed as president of the Latino and Native American Alumni Alliance Board. He is also a 2017 Surge Institute Fellowship Alum.