Expert

Olivia Wilks

Senior Policy Analyst

Impact Areas
Contact Information
773-256-5229

Olivia Wilks is a Senior Policy Analyst at Chapin Hall where she partners with state and local leaders to drive transformational efforts that strengthen family outcomes. With a focus on upstream prevention and community-driven alternatives, Wilks has led and contributed to initiatives that enhance child- and youth- serving systems. Wilks is committed to bridging research and policy to ensure that children, youth, and families have the resources and support needed to thrive within their own communities.

Before joining Chapin Hall, Wilks served as the Director of Juvenile Justice and Violence Prevention Initiatives at the Illinois Collaboration on Youth (ICOY), where she partnered with local jurisdictions across Illinois to implement reform efforts and reduce racial and ethnic disparities.

Wilks is pursuing her PhD from the University of Minnesota, she holds a MA from the University of Chicago, and a BA from Grinnell College.

Master of Arts in Social Work and Social Welfare, University of Chicago

Certificate in Public Policy Analysis, University of Chicago

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Art History, Grinnell College

Cusick, G., Gaul-Stout, J., Kakuyama-Villaber, R., Wilks, O., Grewal-Kök, Y., & Anderson, C. A. (2024). Systematic review of economic and concrete support to prevent child maltreatment. Societies, 14, 173. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc14090173

Key Work

Key Work

Project
Monitoring Youth Well-being and Reduction of Justice Involvement in ‘Redeploy’ Pilot Program
Chapin Hall experts are leading a three-year evaluation of a new Cook County Redeploy Illinois pilot program. Redeploy Illinois is a program offered statewide...
January 15, 2025
Project
Establishing Community Pathways to Prevention Services
This report explores the innovative “community pathway” approach within the Family First context.
September 24, 2024
Project
Chapin Hall Offers Sessions on Family First Prevention Services, Economic and Concrete Supports at 2023 CWLA Conference
Chapin Hall staff presented at the 2023 CWLA conference. Read about the presentations and view the slides.
July 13, 2023
Project
Family First: Readiness Assessment, Planning, and Implementation
Chapin Hall is collaborating with jurisdictions and organizations across the country as they assess readiness and plan for Family First implementation and align...
June 27, 2019
Show more