WFF Staff
Sarah Wood
Executive Director
Sarah's days are filled working on behalf of the foundation and Chicago's kids and raising her three children.
Smart, articulate, organized and loyal, Sarah knows the importance of giving back. Her mother, a strong influence in her life in many areas, set an example by volunteering to help with their local church and community when Sarah was young, and now, like mother, like daughter. Sarah hopes to plant the same seed in her kids so they understand that the platform Kerry's job has provided is one that can impact a community in powerful ways.
Together, the Woods have netted more than $2.5 million in the last seven years for children's charities. With their foundation, they have funded a playroom in the new Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and are working to improve the lives of Chicago's underprivileged youth with an immediate focus on four key neighborhoods: Austin, Lawndale, Humboldt Park and Englewood.
On her own, Sarah has volunteered at Children's Memorial Hospital (CMH) and Phoenix Children's Hospital. She is on the Founder's Board of Lurie's Children's Hospital and sits on the board for WFF.
Amy Wright
Program and Event Director
Amy has spent the last 11 years in the private sector as a professional services consultant specializing in organizational design, leadership development and cultural change. Amy's partnered with Fortune 500 executives to drive change and growth within their organizations. She has also worked with senior executive teams developing unique experiential workshops, assisting them to be more productive and innovative. Amy joined the Wood Family Foundation team in 2013 as director of program & events bringing her energy and enthusiasm to grow and develop new and existing programs of behalf of the foundation.
Amy is originally from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area where she interned with St. Paul Social Services and volunteered at MAP (Minneapolis Aids Program). She has a deep love affair with Chicago and anything bulldog related. When you don't find her "divvying" throughout Chicago you'll find her on the links practicing her short game.
Alex Scheidemantel
Program and Event Coordinator
Alex graduated with a bachelors degree in communication studies from DePaul University. While in school, Alex served as a sports anchor for Good Day DePaul, volunteered through nonprofit courses and completed several internships in sales, fashion and nonprofit institutions. Throughout college her passion for intercultural courses led her to study abroad in Athens, Greece, a period she will claim to be perhaps the most exciting thus far!
In the summer of 2012, she began volunteering for the Wood Family Foundation. While working alongside such a genuine family, Alex pursued a more permanent position with the foundation. Since her start in August 2012, Alex enjoys writing the monthly newsletter, maintaing social media accounts and collaborating with foundation supporters to aid program and event management. In Alex's free time you can find her reading and exploring new parts of the city.
Jennifer Mendoza
Office Manager
Jennifer is a Chicago girl rooted in the Humboldt Park and Austin neighborhoods. She has spent the last eight years volunteering and eventually becoming the director of HopeFest, a back-to-school event in the Humboldt Park community. As an arm of her church, New Life Covenant, HopeFest has provided over 30,000 kids with backpacks, school supplies, immunizations, physicals and a week's worth of groceries to jumpstart the new school year. In her role Jennifer oversees a team of 15, coordinating with them from beginning to end. It was through HopeFest that her relationship with the Wood Family Foundation started in 2011.
As a profession, Jennifer spent 10 years assisting C-level executives with Administration and office management. Before joining the WFF, she worked as a project manager for the legal team with Governor Quinn's administration. She left state employment to pursue her passion and volunteerism through the foundation. She brings her vast experience to anchor our office's day-to-day operations while also serving as an assistant to the team.
When she's not volunteering, you can expect that Jennifer is enjoying the outdoors with her husband Jesse, son Jonathan and daughter Olivia.
