Alda Leavy-Skinner is a strategic project administrator in the Federal & State Grants Unit. Prior to joining ICJIA, Alda was a paralegal with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Her career in public service spans 20 years at state and county levels and in the nonprofit and private sectors with a focus on at-risk populations within the juvenile justice, criminal justice, child welfare and school systems. She is also a U.S. veteran. Alda has served as village official and as an adjunct professor at Governor State University. Alda has prior experience working in grant management for Children Home and Aid, where she managed community school grant funding that addressed academic decline, ISAT scores, and parental engagement. Alda holds a doctorate in public safety leadership with a specialization in criminal justice from Capella University, a post-graduate certificate in adult continuing education from National Louis University, a master’s degree in public administration from Roosevelt University, and a bachelor’s degree from Alabama State University completing at Chicago State University.