Jaye Stapleton
Executive Director
Jaye Stapleton is the Executive Director of Chicago Vibrant Neighborhoods Collective, where she leads work to strengthen community-rooted nonprofits on Chicago’s South and West sides. A strategic leader with over 15 years of experience, she has driven systems and policy change in Chicago and internationally, consistently centering community voice and evidence-based practices in the design and execution of programs.
She most recently served as Chicago's Deputy Mayor for Education and Human Services under Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, where she partnered with eight City departments and sister agencies to improve the quality, equity, and scale of education, health, and human services citywide — including violence prevention and community safety investments. She also led creation of the City's first-ever Strategic Plan for Equity-Based Delegate Contracting, reshaping how public dollars reach community organizations doing frontline safety and prevention work.
Prior to her role in the Mayor's Office, Jaye co-founded Four Corners Global Consulting Group, advising education and health sector clients on data systems, tools, and training. She previously served as Director of Program Quality for Heartland Alliance International, leading a global team of technical assistance providers strengthening human rights programs and community-based organizations.
Jaye’s combination of public-sector policy experience and community-based practice ground her in both the systems that shape violence prevention funding and the neighborhood-level realities of implementation.