Jillian Spindle has worked at MEDA since 2009, serving as Director of Development for seven years before becoming MEDA’s Chief Operating Officer in 2016 and Chief Strategy and Advancement Officer in 2024. In her role as Director of Development, she led several large collaborative funding projects such as the national Latino Tech Net, and the Mission Promise Neighborhood initiative. In her role as COO, she built and grew systems and provided oversight for MEDA’s operational functions, including Human Resources and Administration, Evaluation, Finance, Development & Communications, Risk Management & Compliance and Governance.

Prior to MEDA, she fundraised and developed programming for community technology centers throughout Chicago, created computer training programs in partnership with community organizations in Jamaica and Honduras, and taught at DePaul University. She has a M.A. and B.A. in Social Sciences/Sociology from the University of Chicago.