Maura Welch

Maura, a Senior Manager on the Capacity Building team, provides operational and strategic technical assistance to REDF’s national network of employment social enterprise partners. She is passionate about the potential for employment social enterprises to help build an inclusive economy and enjoys working with leaders to scale their operations and impact.

Maura returns to REDF after working as a Farber Summer Fellow in 2017 while completing her MBA. As a Farber, she partnered with Venture Philanthropy alum Cara Chicago to explore opportunities to grow their two employment social enterprises, Cleanslate and Cara Connects.

Previously, Maura worked in public sector consulting at Deloitte. There, she helped expand the organization’s offerings in strategic and operational support to nonprofits, government agencies, and private sector companies working on criminal justice reform efforts, including improving reentry and developing second chance hiring strategies. While in graduate school, Maura served as a Research Assistant with the University of Chicago Urban Labs, where she provided design and evaluation support for their Supportive Release Center, which aims to help individuals with mental illness reenter and transition to services in their communities following their release from the Cook County Jail.

Maura holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an MPP from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. She completed her BS in International Culture and Politics at Georgetown University.