Remote work also allowed us to broaden the talent pool from which we could hire, given that moving to a specific location was no longer required. Remote operations allowed us to hire experts who live where we work with partners, providing the advantage of a deeper understanding of the climate in which those partners operate. After careful consideration of the benefits related to remote work, in 2024 Chapin Hall decided to go fully remote.
While our staff work in separate places, Chapin Hall recognizes the importance of in-person opportunities for staff to build connections, create team cohesion and creativity, and foster a sense of belonging. Every year, staff engage in a minimum of two annual two-day “All Hall” convenings that feature shared learning, teamwork, and fellowship. Chapin Hall also provides robust technical support to make day-to-day connecting possible and easy.
Below, Chapin Hall staff share how remote work has benefitted their lives. For more information on working for Chapin Hall, including current job openings, click here.
Sam Shapiro
More Travel!
Chapin Hall Associate Researcher Sam Shapiro was on a plane when he filled out an internal survey about how remote work has benefited the organization’s staff. Ticking the box for “more opportunities for travel,” Sam and his girlfriend were headed to New York City that Thursday evening so they could meet up with a friend Sam met in Budapest years ago at a civic engagement conference for undergraduate students. Friday, after Sam worked from a Big Apple coffee shop, the trio had the rare opportunity to see an indie artist they all love at New York City’s famous Bowery Ballroom. Sam’s next destination? Phoenix
Regina Crider
Ability to Care for Family Members
Chapin Hall Senior Policy Analyst Regina Crider loves the town she lives in: Rantoul, Illinois, located about two hours south of Chicago. There she’s close to family and involved in her community as a trustee. Her service in the military took her away from there, but she returned because she knew she wanted to raise her family there. Regina’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022. Remote work made it possible for Regina to accompany her mother to her treatments. “I was so grateful to have that flexibility because I was able to make her appointments with her but also stay connected to my work. I can’t imagine how it must be for people who have to commute in addition to caring for family members.” Sadly, Regina’s mother passed away in 2023 but Regina says the remote work schedule allowed her to have the mental space to plan the funeral and clean out her mother’s home. That same flexibility is now allowing her to care for her elderly uncle.
Isabelle Cadrot
Ability to Work While Visiting Family Overseas
About a 45-minute train ride from Paris lies Aincourt, where Chapin Hall Communications Coordinator Isabelle Cadrot’s grandfather happens to be the oldest man in the village at 94. Of the 850 people in the village, his only rival for the title of overall oldest is a 100-year-old woman. For as long as she can remember, Isabelle and her family have traveled from Chicago to France every summer to visit her grandparents for two weeks – that is, until the world shut down. The pandemic kept the extended family apart for a year and a half, however, six months into her career at Chapin Hall, Isabelle finally had the opportunity to visit them again. Without the ability to work remotely, she would’ve only been able to join the family virtually from the U.S. for online check-ins. “I really value the flexibility and I know I’m trusted to do good work from wherever I am. It’s been great because I don’t have to dedicate vacation time since I can work from there.” She sets up her temporary office in her grandparents’ attic space and, when she’s done with work, she spends time cooking French food with her grandmother and taking walks in the countryside. “It’s such a blessing to get to spend this quality time with them.” Oui, oui!
Elizabeth Dierksheide
Ability to Spend More Time with Family in Other States
The flexibility that comes with remote work gives Chapin Hall Chief of Staff Elizabeth Dierksheide the ability to share caregiving duties with her siblings, so their mom is well looked after in her home in North Carolina. “What’s even more fun is that from all my ‘zooming’ from her dining room, she now knows in more detail what Chapin Hall does and we have great conversations about family well-being, reducing the need for foster care, and ending youth homelessness!”
Lorena Figueroa
Ability to Care for Pets, Read more
How did Grants and Contracts Administrator Lorena Figueroa have time to read 17 books, research getting her CPA license, plan her marriage celebration, and care for her animals last year? She got three hours of her life back every day when she joined Chapin Hall two years ago. Commuting had cut into Lorena’s free time so much that she nearly stopped reading altogether because she was exhausted when she got home. More quality time with her animals is another perk. Sammy, her 15-year-old poodle has arthritis and high blood pressure and other health issues that require administering medication four times a day. “If I didn’t work remotely, it would be really difficult to find someone to give him his medications. My animals love that I’m working from home! It is just such a blessing.”
Kiljoong Kim
Ability to Navigate Family Issues as a Member of the “Sandwich Generation”
For Senior Policy Analyst Kiljoong Kim, the ability to work remotely is vital to his whole family. It allows him to care for his own health and that of his aging parents, while also being able to do school drop-off and pickup for his eight-year-old son. “Even an extra 15 minutes is precious in the morning! I don’t have to worry about commuting on top of dropping my son off. That flexibility is very important.” For Kiljoong to stay on top of a health issue, he must periodically do a 20-minute stretching routine that helps increase his lung capacity. That could be awkward or even impossible in some office settings but at home where he has his own office space, he’s able “to stretch and get right back to work.” Kiljoong’s parents are both in their late 80s and sometimes must be hospitalized for different health issues. It’s not uncommon for Kiljoong to accompany them. “There’s a lot of waiting when you’re there. Being able to be at the hospital but still being able to work is a huge advantage. My mom was in the hospital for three days recently and I lost a little time at the beginning, but then I was able to take meetings, write and get other work done. I certainly don’t take these things for granted.”
Colleen Sharkey
Ability to Road Trip!
When a good friend asked her to help him move from Chicago to Denver, Media Manager Colleen Sharkey was open to it but had a few “demands.” An avid road tripper and lover of all things kitschy, Colleen wanted to head north, then west to see some classic roadside Americana rather than go the direct route through Iowa and Nebraska. Her plan was to hit up some stops on the Wisconsin Cheese Trail, visit the Corn Palace in South Dakota, shop at Wall Drug, and ultimately end up at Mt. Rushmore before heading south to Denver. Her friend was on board, so they took off on a frosty January evening. Lots of snowy roads, closed attractions and two cases of Covid later, Colleen would advise people planning the same route to do it during the warm months! Still, she is grateful for the flexibility that allowed her to work during an adventure through many states she’d never been to before all while snacking on ungodly amounts of Wisconsin cheese.
Ticia Brown
Ability to Care for Beloved Grandmother
When I started working for Chapin Hall in 2021, my grandma was struggling w/ dementia but was relatively ok. Soon after that, she was no longer able to live alone. It was primarily me and my uncle taking care of her, but he was a police officer and was working significantly more than normal during the pandemic. She had a nurse but needed a relative there because she wasn’t as comfortable with the nurse, so I moved in. In the last year, she needed round-the-clock care. It was a comfort to her that I was there and I felt better being there to ensure she was ok. I was also able to make sure the nurse knew where everything was and how best to care for my grandma. “There are some people who are abusive to the elderly. It was important for me to be there for that reason but even more so for the moments she was lucid, that was wonderful and made it a lot easier,” Ticia said. “I cannot imagine having to drop her off somewhere and commuting and her having to be in a nursing home facility. I am grateful that she was able to age in her own home.” Ticia would like to have kids in the near future and she’s very pleased that she won’t have to worry about commuting all the time.
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