Pastor Bill Ellis

Board Chair

William Anthony Ellis Jr. (Bill Ellis) is the Pastor of Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Morgan Park. He’s a graduate of King’s Academy (Destiny Christian School) in San Antonio. Growing up a “PK” (preacher’s kid), he had many experiences that challenged, strengthened and developed his faith. Bill currently holds a certificate from Los Angeles Recording Workshop and the Musicians Institute of Technology. He has also studied at Trinity International University and Moody Bible Institute. Bill Ellis is the loving husband of Kellen Denise Ellis and father of two adorable daughters, Eden and Amry Ellis.

Dr. Chico Tillmon

After graduating from high school and serving three years in the Illinois Air National Guard, Tillmon faced an impossible choice: testify against drug dealers in his community — thereby putting his family at risk for retribution — or face 20 years in prison.He chose prison. While incarcerated, Tillmon had an epiphany. “I realized what was going on in our community. Most of the people in these communities are just in survival mode, and I saw how their responses were not only impulsive, but also reactive. So when I came home, I wanted to do something to change the trajectory of the community.”And do something he did — first as an outreach worker for Ceasefire, the same organization that his predecessor at YSVP, Eddie Bocanegra, worked for when he was featured in The Interrupters. Today, he’s a few months away from a PhD in Criminology, Law and Justice Studies, and he’s the new Executive Director of the Y’s Youth Safety and Violence Prevention

Teny Gross

Teny Gross is the executive director of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, a new support to reduce violence in some of the city’s neighborhoods most impacted by violence. He is a veteran of the Israeli Defense Force who also worked with a variety of Israeli and Palestinian groups in support of peaceful coexistence and dignity for all.  Teny began his career in ending violence in the United States as a Senior Street Worker for the City of Boston and later was recruited to found and be the CEO of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence in Providence, RI. Teny has a B.F.A. from Tufts, an M.T.S. from Harvard and a fellowship in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management from Harvard Business School.