Joseph Olalusi

Executive Director, Gambit Chicago

Chicago, IL

Mobilizing minority communities with unique programming to create economic development, social development, and neighborhood revitalization.

Joseph Olalusi is a South Side native and the founder of Gambit Chicago, a nonprofit organization that provides extracurricular learning opportunities for students in the Englewood area. Joseph developed a six-week after-school summer program, teaching students to remodel clothes and develop business service skills, thereby allowing local residents to realize new possibilities for themselves and discourage youth violence in the neighborhood. Through the Scholars program, Joseph hopes to develop a strategy for expanding Gambit Chicago’s extracurricular activities to include volunteer federal income tax filing education and urban gardening, providing alternative opportunities for youth engagement and career exploration.