Heather Roberts

Heather 'Byrd' Roberts serves as an Advisor at Innovation 80 since April 2021 and is the Founder of Byrd's World, LLC, established in August 2010, which empowers professional women of color to share their stories and preserve their legacies. With extensive experience in education and program management, Heather has held various roles at Young Chicago Authors from November 2014 to present, culminating in the position of Director of Education. Additionally, Heather has contributed to youth development through roles at Yollocalli Arts Reach and Youth Organizations Umbrella, Inc., and was involved in promoting diversity as the Interim and Assistant Director of Intercultural Life at Cornell College. Heather's earlier work includes designing community outreach materials for the City of Davenport as an AmeriCorp VISTA. Heather holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from St. Ambrose University, a Teaching Artist Certificate in Spoken Word Pedagogy from Concordia University Chicago, and a Bachelor’s degree in Performance Arts from Cornell College.