Shelley Fulla, an experienced public sector strategist, has been appointed to Nourishing Hope’s board of directors.
Fulla is the director of public and social impact consulting at Slalom Chicago, a global strategic consulting firm. For more than 25 years, she’s led teams and projects to effect positive social change in Chicago. As one recent example in her role at Slalom, Fulla worked closely with the City of Chicago during the pandemic to utilize data to provide small business relief and foster racial equity.
Since 2015, Fulla has also volunteered at Nourishing Hope, logging more than 300 hours of service. In the past four years, she’s served as a volunteer home delivery driver on a weekly basis, transporting groceries to older adults and people with disabilities.
As a board member, Fulla hopes to scale up her impact.
“As a volunteer, I am able to directly impact the individuals we work with,” Fulla said. “As a board member, I can work to help change the face of food insecurity in the community.”
Prior to Slalom, where she’s been for more than eight years, Fulla worked at Baker Tilly. She’s also held various roles with the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Chicago Police Department over the years. A self-described generalist, Fulla uses data and strategic thinking to inform decision making and engage the community.
Those skills will help elevate an already deep and talented board of directors, said Board President Marc Brenner.
“We’re so fortunate to have Shelley join our board as we continue to serve a heightened need in the community,” Brenner said. “Her skills, expertise and passion for this work will be invaluable as we seek to grow our impact throughout Chicago.”
Since she was a child, Fulla has volunteered for different causes and organizations that she believes in.
“At a very fundamental level, I am deeply connected to the ‘it takes a village’ concept,” Fulla said.
After losing her job in 2010, she volunteered for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a longtime partner of Nourishing Hope’s — an experience that opened her eyes to food insecurity in Chicago.
“That volunteering got me through a really tough time and reminded me that there are always others who are suffering more,” Fulla said.
Fulla earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois-Chicago. She also serves on the board of directors for Deborah’s Place, which provides supportive housing to women experiencing homelessness, and the Civic Consulting Alliance Advisory Council.