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Operations Program Manager, Illinois Department of Human Services

Alvin is a trained social scientist and business operations leader with on-the-job training in design for social impact. He uses his analytical and creative skills to advance the public good by helping civic institutions be more effective, innovative, and equitable.

Currently Alvin is the Operations Program Manager for the Illinois Department of Human Services, Government of Illinois, and reporting to the Assistant Secretary of Operations. In this role, he supports IDHS as a state government agency to be more innovative, effective, stakeholder & staff-centered, and efficient through the use of design, data, project management, employee experience, and equity practice. Previously, Alvin was the Sr. Director of Operations at Erie House, NFP, a Chicago social service agency that supports immigrant and diverse families through skill-building, access to key resources, advocacy & collaborative action. Before that, he began to build capacity in human-centered design as the first Director of Operations at Greater Good Studio LLC, a global social innovation & human-centered design firm and TED City 2.0 Prize awardee that works with global foundations, government agencies, and national nonprofits.

Alvin's previous roles include: director of HR at a $4.5MM youth wrap-around services NPO, director of planning & administration at a $14MM national social impact media company, and global management associate at a multinational healthcare company where I held a 7 month organization change assignment in Shanghai, China.

Outside of work, Alvin strategically communicates key concepts and messages to others both as a visual artist doing analog & digital illustration and as Adjunct Faculty at Loyola University Chicago's Quinlan School of Business, focusing on Social Design, Impact, & Innovation. Previously, he was National Board Treasurer of Creative Reaction Lab, Board Co-Chair of Chicago Freedom School, and was a 2016 Fellow in the IMPACT Leadership Program, jointly run by the Chicago Urban League and the University of Chicago-Booth School of Business.

Alvin completed a bachelor’s in political science from Morehouse College, a master’s in management & organization from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities' business school, and a post-graduate certificate in international relations from Cornell University. He also studied for a year at the London School of Economics & Political Science via the Luard Scholarship.