Maria Kim serves as the president of REDF, a venture catalyst investing in businesses that exist to hire overlooked talent throughout the country. REDF鈥檚 reach includes 220+ social enterprises generating over $1.4 billion in revenue, operating in 31 states and DC, and employing over 74,000 people.
Prior to REDF, Kim served as CEO of Cara Collective, a social enterprise on the move to eradicate relational and financial poverty. At Cara, Kim helped to deepen its impact for thousands of Chicagoans from untapped talent pools, while bringing its services to a national stage.
Kim serves on the advisory boards of the First Women鈥檚 Bank and the University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab. She is a 2008 Leadership Greater Chicago fellow, a 2012 American Marshall Memorial fellow, a former cochair within Chicago Mayor Lightfoot鈥檚 2019 transition team, and a 2020 Presidential Leadership scholar. Maria holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.