Founder and Board President, Fresh Moves
Oftentimes we view our identity as a mix of roles. We introduce ourselves by what we do professionally, by our community involvement; we make mention of our support system, of our family, of where we live. These roles and identifying characteristics cue others of our values and of our principles. In a variety of situations, we pick and choose what we want to reveal to others of ourselves. Steve Casey’s professional, community, and personal life is intentionally driven by one goal: giving to his community.
Steve is a Manager, Grants and Budget for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, Illinois; responsible for overseeing the budget and administration of $80 million in grants provided by the foundation. Steve earned his Bachelor of Administration in Finance from the University of the District of Columbia and his M.B.A. in Finance from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Through these educational and other experiences, Steve’s sense of social justice was solidified. He and his partner and wife Kimberly Casey, commit to making all decisions, big and small, with the community and its ongoing development in mind.
The Caseys are raising their son Joel in the Englewood community of Chicago. A homeowner and property owner in his neighborhood, Steve also is affiliated with numerous community-related activities, in addition to the local and national Urban League chapters, Food Desert Action/Fresh Moves, Neighborhood Housing Services, The Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, and the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) initiative. Named a German Marshall Fund Fellow in 2004, Steve spent time in Europe studying global economic, political and social issues.
Steve’s favorite quote, one that exemplifies his mission, is credited to the influential German thinker Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of being.”