Adrian Esquivel serves as the deputy director for the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance. In this role, working with a wide variety of stakeholders, Adrian oversees industry-sector partnerships, organizes for workers’ rights, and promotes educational and public policy alignment to increase equity in the region.
Before joining the Funder Alliance, Adrian worked on community and economic development issues at Enlace Chicago. He also advised World Business Chicago—the City of Chicago’s economic development agency—on its workforce development strategy in an effort to align the work of economic and workforce development. Adrian has served as a board member of the Woodstock Institute, as a member of the City of Chicago’s Community Development Advisory Council, and on the State of Illinois’ Equity Task Force. He presents nationally at conferences on issues of workforce development equity.
Adrian holds a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in urban planning and policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was a Civic Leadership Academy Fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.
Adrian is a member of the Job Quality Fellowship Class of 2022-23. To learn more about the Job Quality Fellows, visit as.pn/jobquality.
The Job Quality Fellowship is part of the Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, a network of leadership and fellowship programs run by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Within this Network, EOP connects national and local leaders from across sectors — nonprofit, government, business, philanthropy, academia, and more — to advance policies and practices with the potential to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/eofn.
