History of Board Service:
- The Nature Conservancy of Massachusetts, 2018-present
- One Acre Fund, Fundraising Board, 2007-2016, Advisor 2017-present
- Ancona School, Board Fellow, 2006-2007
- Chicago Child Care Society, Board Member, 2008-2010
- Sustainable America, Board Member 2013-2016
Being raised by a single mother, along with being the first in his family to go to college, Chris Addy’s path to social impact was largely inspired by his gratitude to those around him. “Over the course of my life, many people helped me to achieve my full potential – teachers, coaches, neighbors, after-school and summer program leaders and more” he says.
Addy worked as a teacher before coming to Kellogg. His passion for education drew him to Kellogg’s social impact community. He felt the Kellogg Board Fellows program would be a great way to connect his passion for impact with his future career goals. Addy was paired with the Ancona School, a private school that focuses on innovative approaches to learning and education. He helped the board develop an impact performance dashboard and also served on the strategic planning committee.
Addy says that the Kellogg Board Fellows program served him well in two primary ways: connecting him with like-minded students and leveraging a peer-learning model. “Many of the people I got to know via Board Fellows are still people I connect with professionally,” he says. “Kellogg is a big school and finding groups with whom your values are more fully aligned is really valuable.” The classroom component, especially the second year seminar, of the program also had a big impact on Addy. “That diversity of experiences and sharing amplified my learning dramatically and is a cornerstone of my social impact experience at Kellogg,” he says.
Immediately after Kellogg, Addy spent several years at Bain & Company before moving to a role at the Bridgespan Group. He used the skills he developed during the Board Fellows program to help navigate this transition. “In my current role, I help boards and management teams better guide their organizations, and the lessons I learned as a board fellow gave me a valuable foundation for that work,” he says. “I am able to blend the rigor, analytics, and strategic thinking skills I honed at Kellogg with the passions I have developed over my life.”
