Walidah G. Bennett is the Founder and Director of the Multi-faith Veterans Initiative housed at DePaul University Egan Office of Urban Education and Community Partnerships. The initiative works citywide to develop community circles of support in collaboration with faith-based and community organizations linking veterans and their families to services and resources within the community. The initiative provides education and training on veteran transition issues and works to facilitate partnerships between the faith community and behavioral health providers.
Bennett has a rich history of community engagement fostering public/private and community partnerships helping to create change that speaks to the community's values. Recognizing that the most effective solutions to community issues should be community-driven and believes in the power of building effective social networks and creating opportunities for community partners to share their practices, promising ideas and challenges.
Bennett has held executive posts with the Quality of Life Continuum, SOS Children's Village, Zonta International and the Chicago Alliance of Business Employment and Training, overseeing programs in the area of mental health, child welfare, employment & training and women's international policy.
Ms. Bennett has served as a panelist and guest speaker on a wide range of topics, at the local, state, national and international level, on numerous boards and as consultant to community-based agencies. In addition, she has written and published several articles that focus on issues impacting women, children and families; she was appointed to the Commission on Veteran Affairs for the City of Chicago and serves on the State of Illinois Governors Challenge committee.
Ms. Bennett has received numerous awards and recognition for her work and is listed in Who's Who's of the World's Women and 2000 Notable Women. She holds degrees from Northeastern Illinois University, professional certificates from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and previously served on faculty at South Suburban College in the department of Social & Behavioral Science.