Ayesha Jaco, MA, BS

Ayesha Jaco, a lifelong resident of Chicago’s West Side, has dedicated her career to improving the health and economic vitality of the community where she grew up. As executive director of West Side United (WSU), she leads programs and partnerships with anchor institutions, including hospitals, nonprofits and churches, who work collaboratively to eliminate the 14-year life expectancy gap between West Side residents and those living in the Loop.

Under her leadership, in just five years, WSU has invested more than $195 million to improve health outcomes, spur economic and workforce development, and enhance the quality of life for West Side residents and businesses who reside in or serve predominantly Black and Latinx communities. This includes an annual small business accelerator initiative that has provided more than $1.9 million in grants to over 120 small businesses, $179 million in hospital procurement investments and distributed more than 3,000,000 meals to families in need.

Ayesha serves on the Board of Directors of Choose Chicago, The Chicago Chronic Condition Equity Network Community Advisory Board and the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, where she was instrumental in the group’s selection as the recipient of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation’s $10 million 2022 Chicago Prize for the development of the Sankofa Wellness Village, which will provide community-informed, culturally empowering services including:


A Federally Qualified Health Center with a fitness facility, childcare, credit union, and trauma-informed behavioral care.

MAAFA Center for Arts & Activism, an institute for adult men of color and an intergenerational community arts program.

The K, a business incubator and real estate accelerator.

A Community Grocer Initiative to bring healthy food to the community.

Ayesha also serves as founder and artistic director at Move Me Soul Dance Company, ​​where she launched a program across 4 communities to increase access to dance programming.