Dev Middleton (he/she/they) is a writer and advocate for the empowerment and visibility of Black, Non-binary, and Autistic people. Originally from Fort Wayne, IN, Dev started their non-profit career working with high school aged youth at Erin’s House for Grieving Children as a group facilitator and crisis responder before becoming a Site Supervisor for Big Brothers Big Sisters’ High School Program. They began grant writing when they moved to Chicago in 2015. Although they love creative writing, their favorite part of grant writing is the project management aspects that although them to work with a variety of different personalities and voices across departments.
Before coming to MPC, they were the Associate Director of Grants at READI Chicago, a program of Heartland Alliance. As a grant writer, they have spent most of their career focused on Transgender services and equality, ending HIV/AIDS, and dismantling barriers for formerly incarcerated Black and Brown people. Their interest in MPC reflects lessons learned from their time at Growing Home Inc., in Englewood. Dev worked at Growing Home at the start of the pandemic and still has close relationships with the Executive Director and staff. Looking more closely at the landscape in Englewood opened their mind to how the structure of a city, as well as its access to green spaces, can create a variety of different health barriers for low-income communities, especially when you factor in Chicago’s history of redlining and property tax funded schools.
Dev is thrilled to be a part of MPC and to learn more from the amazing staff here. They continue to be impressed by all of the incredible work MPC has done.
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