Madeleine Doubek – Executive Director
Madeleine Doubek is a passionate, long-time advocate for improving government and politics in Illinois. As the former vice president of policy at the Better Government Association, she was responsible for a new law that limits golden parachutes for public executives. She also worked to stop efforts to limit government transparency and championed laws that boost government efficiency.
Doubek writes a government-focused column for Crain’s Chicago Business. Prior to her direct advocacy and policy work, Doubek spent 32 years in journalism, many covering local and state government and politics. She has won several regional and national journalism awards during her career. Her work on Illinois’ historic budget impasse was honored by Voices for Illinois Children and with two Peter Lisagor Awards from the Chicago Headline Club.
Doubek previously served as publisher of Reboot Illinois, a citizen-focused website covering state politics and government. Before that, Doubek was the former Assistant Vice President/Executive Editor of the suburban Daily Herald. She served as the paper’s political writer, columnist and editor for many years. While there, she also led a team of reporters and editors who wrote an award-winning, 5-part series, “44 Minutes in January,” that told in unprecedented detail the story of the Palatine Brown’s Chicken murders. Her work on series examining homeland security spending, foster care, chronic drunken driving and burgeoning suburban hard-core drug use also was honored with regional and national awards.
Doubek graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a journalism major and political science minor. A native of Chicago’s South Side, she now lives in Des Plaines.
You can follow Madeleine on Twitter: @mdoubek. Any media inquiries for CHANGE Illinois can be sent to her at mdoubek@changeil.org.
Ryan Tolley – Policy Director
Ryan Tolley is the Policy Director at CHANGE Illinois, where he leads policy development and advocacy efforts for good government reform on a state, city and county level. Ryan oversees the creation and execution of CHANGE’s policy agenda.
Prior to working for CHANGE Illinois, Ryan directed grassroots initiatives and advocacy efforts for the Small Business Advocacy Council (SBAC), giving the small business community a voice on federal, state and local government levels. Ryan’s success at the SBAC in passing bipartisan legislation resulted in his appointment to the Leadership Council of the National Small Business Association.
Ryan is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University.
You can follow Ryan on Twitter: @rtolley_il.
Chaundra Van Dyk – Advocacy Director
Chaundra Van Dyk is the Advocacy Director at CHANGE Illinois. In 2021, as Chicago Project Manager, she led our efforts to improve the city’s participatory democracy and its ethics laws. Chaundra serves as an influencer to raise awareness and aid in changing Chicago’s broken system of creating gerrymandered ward maps into a transparent, people-focused process.
Prior to coming to CHANGE Illinois, Chaundra was a prominent Community Engagement Manager in North Lawndale, a community located in Chicago’s West side. In this role, Chaundra developed, implemented, and grew community programs that enriched the personal, financial, and professional lives of people who had criminal backgrounds; or those experiencing significant barriers to employment. This included programs centered on financial literacy, job searching, job readiness, job training, and more. Through insistent community outreach, partnering with city officials and leaders, and innovative program development that met community needs, Chaundra aimed to change the narrative of low-income communities while bridging the racial wealth divide and decreasing violence. In her spare time, Chaundra volunteers with the Restorative Justice Court in North Lawndale where she serves to strengthen the court process and helps grow the first Restorative Justice Court in the North Lawndale community.
Chaundra is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago where she received a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, Criminology, and a concentration in Women and Gender Studies. Chaundra also is a proud graduate of Kentucky State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts’ degree in Criminal Justice. Chaundra is a bold community advocate with a passion for working to advance the conditions of disinvested communities.
You can follow Chaundra on Twitter: @chaundra_.
DuShaun Branch Pollard – Community Organizing Director
DuShaun Branch Pollard is the Community Organizing Director for CHANGE Illinois. DuShaun is passionate about building one-on-one relationships, listening to the community’s needs, and organizing to build power.
Before joining the CHANGE Illinois team, DuShaun was a community engagement coordinator for the Power of Partnerships program in Oak Park and a community organizer in North Lawndale. During her time in North Lawndale, DuShaun worked to connect the community to resources and direct funding during the pandemic. DuShaun is also an adjunct professor at North Central College where she has taught Social Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship Marketing.
DuShaun holds her MBA from Dominican University in River Forest and her bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal.
Rory Gilchrist – Projects Coordinator
Rory Gilchrist is the Projects Coordinator at CHANGE Illinois. They support the executive director and team in their efforts for coalition-building, advocacy, and redistricting reform, as well as helping to manage the CHANGE Illinois social media accounts.
They are a community organizer and sustainability professional working at the intersection of planetary health and public health. Rory began their career in Chicago at the Department of Public Health, conducting environmental health fieldwork in Far South Side communities. They also have professional experience in consulting for architecture and urban design firms, documenting and developing the relationships between a changing climate, the built environment, and resilient and empowered communities.
They have previously worked as a freelance project manager and data scientist, and they served on the CHANGE Illinois-supported Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission. Their community organizing work includes voting rights, public transportation, and immigrant and refugee justice, as well as with the campaign to Democratize ComEd, to push for a greener, fairer energy grid. A naturalized U.S. citizen and transplant to Chicagoland, they attended St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico for undergraduate and University of Chicago for graduate schools.