Sendy Soto is the senior director of community impact for The Chicago Community Trust’s Addressing Critical Needs strategy.
With over 15 years of experience in public policy and social justice, Sendy is driven by a passion to align real-world solutions with real-world problems. As a leader in her field, she has meticulous skill at meeting community needs and building collective impact. She has a strong presence in the public, private and nonprofit sectors where she lends her lived experience and unwavering commitment to combat the harms of structural racism and unfair living conditions.
Prior to joining the Trust, she served as the Managing Deputy Commissioner for the Chicago Department of Housing where she secured a $42 million budget as a founder of the Community Engagement, Racial Equity and Strategic Initiatives Bureau. Sendy’s recent experience also includes supporting the Illinois Department of Human Services with a humanitarian response to the surge in asylum seekers arriving from the US-MX border.
Sendy has led district-office operations for then-Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, leading on a variety of complex issues. She has increased impact through community benefit investments and advocacy efforts for AMITA Health System. She has served as commissioner for the Logan Square, Avondale, Hermosa Expanded Mental Health Services Program, the governing commission that is delivering on a fully accessible and affordable mental health center.
Sendy is a proud naturalized U.S. citizen with roots in Guatemala. Her academic background includes a B.A. in Justice Studies from Northeastern Illinois University and an A.A. in Sociology from Wilbur Wright College in Chicago.
