April M. Curtis currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Youth Guidance, an organization celebrating 100 years of service to youth and families. Where she serves as a key advisor and strategic partner to the CEO, ensuring smooth operations and effective execution of organizational objectives. April’s passion for ensuring the success of youth, preserving culture, and promoting education reflects her resilience and commitment to creating positive change. As a leader, advocate, and strategic planner, April Curtis continues to shape conversations and inspire change in the lives of individuals and communities she serves. Recently April received recognition as Chicago’s 8th District Unsung Heroine Peggy A. Montes Award.
She was recently accepted into the Women Leaders for the World Fellowship for Women Who Lead focusing on a global healing-centered approach for those with lived experience. April’s dedication to youth success, cultural preservation, and education underscores her resilience and commitment to driving positive change.
April has utilized her lived expertise to serve as a national consultant for the past two decades. She has worked on developing youth programs, youth councils, grants, board development, strategic planning, and training for organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico. She has also consulted on several conferences, sat on several panels, and has served as a keynote speaker. She has presented and trained both youth and adults in the social justice community on various topics.
April has provided intensive advocacy around child welfare, mental health reform, and restorative justice practice for youth in Chicago Public Schools students city-wide for over twenty years. April is a co-chair of the Violence Prevention Committee for the 20th Senate District. She sits on several community committees such as the Health First Advisory Council, Northwest Collaborative, National Positive Youth Development Council, Transition-Age Federal Coalition, National Housing for Child Welfare (Senior Policy Fellow), and CWLA National Child Welfare and Mental Advisory Committee.
When she is not engaged in child welfare programs, she is volunteering her time in her community to help preserve families and reduce violence. April is on the Board of Directors for several Chicago Community Organizations. April M. Curtis is an expert strategic planning facilitator who guides boards and management through a team planning process for integrated strategic, operational, and implementation plans. She is a strategic planning consultant, a coach, and a trusted advisor on strategy, leadership, process improvement, and communication issues for Organizational Advancement and Board Development.
As a co-founder of the Foster Care Alumni of America in 2004, April has drafted and testified in front of the IL State Legislature and Congress to help improve the quality of life of those impacted by the child welfare and juvenile justice system. She is the Policy Lead for the National Foster Youth Policy Council with Casey Family Programs and Administrative Children Youth and Families.
With a wealth of expertise in strategic planning and organizational advancement, April is a trusted facilitator, coach, and advisor on matters of leadership, process improvement, and communication. Her unwavering commitment to effecting positive change continues to leave an indelible mark on those she serves and the causes she champions.