Staff 
Aletra Nicholson
Director of Workforce Development Programs
773-638-1820
Aletra Nicholson is responsible for the oversight of the Network’s initiatives and programs including U-Turn Permitted, Building Beyond, Behavioral Interventions, Emergency Fund, Productive Choice, and Partnership for New Communities.
Before joining NLEN in June 2002, Aletra worked as a Program Manager at the City of Chicago’s Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, where she managed 55 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) delegates, provided technical assistance, managed contract negotiations, and managed an annual program budget of $3.6 million. Prior to this she was a pioneer in training and placement at the Office of Applied Innovations (OAI) for the Welfare-to-Work population, where her work ranged from intake and customized training to job placement, job development, and retention support. Preceding her position at OAI, Aletra spent some time in youth development at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls and also served as an AmeriCorp volunteer for the I Have a Dream Project in Evanston, Illinois.
Aletra holds her B.A. in Psychology from Winona State University, Minnesota and is currently working on her Masters of Science in Psychology from Walden University, Minnesota.
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