Katie Keidan

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Katie Keidan sees giving back as building strong ties between people. She enjoys looking for connections and leveraging them to help people with everything from networking and finding jobs to creating a deeper sense of community through the various Jewish organizations with which she's involved.

Katie merges philanthropy with her personal life whenever she can, especially when it comes to doing good or building community. She's a host of Moishe House Without Walls, a OneTable Shabbat coach and was recently installed to JUF's YLD board. She's also involved with Project 613 and Jewish Women International's Young Women's Leadership Network.

She's even helping people get better connected and feel at home in her new work place. After years in PR, she moved to an internal communications role in the human resources department with NORC at the University of Chicago.

AGE:
27

PRIMARY GIG:
I recently shifted to an internal communications role with NORC at the University of Chicago.

ON THE SIDE:
I can be found in my kitchen baking or cooking, running on Chicago’s Lake Shore Path, catching up with old friends and new, playing some sort of game (board, card, sport – you name it, I’m in), exploring the nooks, crannies and hidden gems of Chicago, and celebrating everything possible (including, but not limited to, Winter Solstice).

RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
In a relationship

YOUR BEST PIECE OF ADVICE:
“Family is everything – the rest is bullshit” -- Danny Keidan (my grandfather)

HOW YOU JEW IN CHICAGO:
When people ask me what I do for fun outside of work, I typically respond with Jewish programming. I love to punctuate the week in a meaningful way by hosting Shabbos. And when I’m not hosting, I get so much joy out of helping people host as a Shabbos Coach with One Table. I’m a regular at Moishe House and love attending events put on by the various Chabad families throughout the city. I was working on learning Hebrew through Project 613 this year and did some Torah study with them as well.