MICHELLE E.L. MERRITT

Reared on Jamaican spices of the Caribbean and mirepoix of New Orleans Southern gumbo, creative gadabout, Michelle E.L. Merritt was born on the planet of Brooklyn and for over two decades has called the Windy City home.

For over a decade, Ms. Merritt dedicated her career to the community and economic development real estate sector, revitalizing distressed communities and robust community engagement. In 2013, she earned a Master of Arts in Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago and shifted her career focus to follow her personal creative passions in the arts and culture sector. 

In 2015, Ms. Merritt pursued an entrepreneurial opportunity and opened an ‘arts salon’ where she co-led the curating of emerging artist exhibits, event planning, and arts-related programming. Currently, Ms. Merritt is developing a social practice focused on engaging arts and culture as a tool in equitable community building and preservation.

In addition, Ms. Merritt works as an independent consultant supporting local, small non-profit organizations and social enterprise start-ups in curating pop-ups, events and programs, capacity building, and business development.  She also teaches arts-entrepreneurship to youth in the Woodlawn community.

Ms. Merritt is a graduate of Hampton University (BA History) and Columbia College Chicago (MA Arts Administration).