AJ Calhoun

AJ Calhoun

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
2K followers 500+ connections

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Leading on Opportunity
University of Chicago

About

I specialize in creating simple, scalable strategies to address complex social…

Experience

  • Leading on Opportunity

    Leading on Opportunity

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    Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

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    Chicago, Illinois, United States

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    Remote

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      Greater Chicago Area

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      Greater Chicago Area

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    Washington D.C. Metro Area

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      Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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      Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia

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    Washington D.C. Metro Area

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    Greenville, South Carolina Area

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      Greenville, South Carolina Area

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      Greenville, South Carolina Area

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    Washington D.C. Metro Area

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    Brussels Area, Belgium

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    Charlotte, North Carolina Area

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    Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Education

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    Activities and Societies: Harris Community Action (formerly Community Action Bureau), Polsky Small Business Growth Program, UChicago Innovation Challenge, Scaling Social Impact Lab @ Booth School of Business, CampusCATALYST mentor

  • 4.0, in progress

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    Activities and Societies: Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge (KLC), Associate Fellow and Member of Economics Research Hub; Association for Christian Economics (UK); Congress for the New Urbanism, Member's Christian Caucus

    Research interests: urban theology, theological economics, theologies of place, space, domesticity, and hospitality.

    Selected essays and projects:
    • “Segregation and the Spatial Dimensions of Generational Sin: A Biblical Case for Affordable Housing in Policy Context with Recommendations for Education, Advocacy, and Action” (6,500 words)
    • “Radical Economy or Radical Relationship?: Applying a Methodological Critique of ‘Theological Economics’ to Ethical Interpretations of the…

    Research interests: urban theology, theological economics, theologies of place, space, domesticity, and hospitality.

    Selected essays and projects:
    • “Segregation and the Spatial Dimensions of Generational Sin: A Biblical Case for Affordable Housing in Policy Context with Recommendations for Education, Advocacy, and Action” (6,500 words)
    • “Radical Economy or Radical Relationship?: Applying a Methodological Critique of ‘Theological Economics’ to Ethical Interpretations of the ‘Community of Goods’ in Acts 2 & 4” (5,300 words)

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    Activities and Societies: Quaternion Club, Student Government, Omicron Delta Kappa (Leadership/Academic), Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science), Pi Kappa Phi (Social), Shucker Leadership Acadmey Fellow, Admissions and Orientation Staff.

    Thesis: "The City as Art: An Examination of Urban Space as Aesthetic Creation" (7,800 words)

Volunteer Experience

  • Board Member

    Board Member

    DreamKey Partners

    Economic Empowerment

  • Coach

    Coach

    SEED20

    Helping non-profit leaders develop their narratives for the 2018 and 2023 iterations of a local pitch competition.

  • Household Wealth Strategy Lead, Regional Indicators Initiative (Harris Policy Lab)

    Household Wealth Strategy Lead, Regional Indicators Initiative (Harris Policy Lab)

    The Chicago Community Trust

    - 4 months

    Economic Empowerment

    Developed a set of regional indicators to track changes in the racial wealth gap for the Chicago Community Trust through the Harris Policy Lab program

  • Partnerships and Operations Manager

    Partnerships and Operations Manager

    Harris Community Action (HCA)

    - 1 year 8 months

    Civil Rights and Social Action

    As Operations Manager:
    Led 75+ graduate students to provide impact measurement and other advisory services to 25 non-profit organizations on Chicago’s south and west sides

    As Partnership Manager:
    Recruited 15 partner orgs and maintain relationship with executive team of each, define scope of work for consulting engagements and ensure delivery

    As Engagement Manager:
    Directed a team of 3 to deliver a comms strategy, donor workflow, and evaluation framework for a community…

    As Operations Manager:
    Led 75+ graduate students to provide impact measurement and other advisory services to 25 non-profit organizations on Chicago’s south and west sides

    As Partnership Manager:
    Recruited 15 partner orgs and maintain relationship with executive team of each, define scope of work for consulting engagements and ensure delivery

    As Engagement Manager:
    Directed a team of 3 to deliver a comms strategy, donor workflow, and evaluation framework for a community development/sacred-space preservation org in the Woodlawn neighborhood with $600k+ in philanthropic support as a Community Action Bureau Fellow

  • Data Analyst

    Data Analyst

    Capita

    - 5 months

    Children

  • Director of Media and Communications

    Director of Media and Communications

    Heller Service Corps

    - 2 years 1 month

    Social Services

    Managed 60+ staff and 1800+ student volunteers as 1 of 3 VP level directors in one the nation's most active collegiate service organizations. Under my team's leadership, we were twice named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the U.S. Department of Education for our service to disadvantaged youth in South Carolina.

Licenses & Certifications

Courses

  • Big Data for Social Good (Raj Chetty | HBS Online)

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Projects

  • Friend it Forward Peer Mentoring Program

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  • TEDxYouth@SMKSayong

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    TEDxYouth@SMKSayong was the first TEDx program hosted in a Malaysian public school. In collaboration with the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE), the United States Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and TEDxKL.

  • The Unbounded Determination: Stories of Men at War

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    "The Unbounded Determination" is a documentary film created in collaboration with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in fulfillment of the requirements of the rank of Eagle Scout within the Boy Scouts of America. Six of the thirteen interviews which compose this project are part of the LOC's permanent Veteran's History collections.

Honors & Awards

  • Public Policy University Scholarship

    The University of Chicago

    The Public Policy University Scholarship is a competitive, 2-year, 75% merit scholarship awarded to attend the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

  • Fulbright Scholarship (2x)

    U.S. Department of State

    2016 English Teaching Assistant grantee
    2017 Assistant Coordinator grantee

    A highly competitive, merit-based grant for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, considered one of the most prestigious awards programs worldwide.

  • U.S. “Voices of the Future” Delegate to the APEC Summit

    APEC - Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation

    Competitively selected as 1 of 5 youth delegates to represent the United States at the 2014 APEC Summit in Beijing.

  • Quaternion Club Membership

    Quaternion Club

    To be tapped for membership in Quaternion Club is the highest honor a Furman man can receive. Each year four juniors and four seniors are selected based upon demonstrated excellence in four areas: leadership, scholarship, character, love for and service to the university.

  • Alfred S. Reid Award

    Furman University

    Award given annually to the most outstanding man in each class.

  • SCICU 2012 Research Grant

    SCICU (South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities)

    Awarded competitive grant funding to carry out year-long independent research project on online viral phenomena linking network theory with epidemiology. Presented at state wide and local research conferences.

  • Herman W. Lay Scholararship

    Furman University

    Highest academic award given to the top four entering freshman displaying exceptional academic achievement and distinctive personal accomplishment. Named in honor of Herman Warden Lay, famed Furman alumnus who became founder and president of H.W. Lay & Company, later Frito-Lay, PepsiCo.

  • Eagle Scout

    Boy Scouts of America

    Created documentary The Unbounded Determination. Drawing on 13 interviews with veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraq/Afghanistan. Directed and coordinated logistics and oversaw numerous crewmembers
    * 6 of the interviews which compose this project were added to the permanent collection of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress as part of the Veterans History Project.

Organizations

  • The Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge

    Associate Fellow and Member of the Economics Research Hub

    - Present

    Integrally Christian research at the highest levels across the disciplines oriented toward the question "how then shall we live?" is at the heart of KLC. KLC is home to individual scholars, Fellows in a variety of disciplines, doctoral students, and a significant network of scholars.

  • Association of Christian Economists (UK)

    Member

    - Present

    ACE aims to promote discussion and research on economics and related topics, from a distinctively Christian perspective. Most ACE members are practicing Christians, subscribing to the ancient creeds, although others interested in its agenda are welcome. Membership is open to all, who wish to study economic theory and its application, from within a specifically Christian worldview.

  • Congress for New Urbanism

    Member

    - Present

    Members of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) help create vibrant and walkable cities, towns, and neighborhoods where people have diverse choices for how they live, work, shop, and get around. People want to live in well-designed places that are unique and authentic. CNU's mission is to help people build those places.

  • North American Vexillological Association

    Member

    - Present

    The North American Vexillological Association is an international, non-profit, scholarly organization dedicated to the study of flags and their cultural, historical, political, and social significance. NAVA advances vexillology as a social science.

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