Biography

Joseph A. Antolín serves as the Director of Asset Funders Network (AFN) and also as the Principal at Antolin & Associates Consulting LLC (AAC). AFN is a growing membership organization of grantmakers seeking to address asset poverty and the racial and gender wealth gaps by increasing the capacity of grantmaker members to effectively promote economic security by supporting efforts that help low and moderate income households build and protect assets. Joe is leading a team to develop a stronger value proposition for grantmakers through education and peer-to-peer advocacy to increase investment in this area and to grow the opportunities for asset building through national and regional efforts. At AAC, he is primarily assisting non-profits increase their capacity to be strategic and intentional to advance justice, equity and economic impact. He has worked on social impact bonds with agencies in three states and has helped providers improve their reentry, refugee, community health, youth, Head Start, health reform, and workforce programs. The services include program outcome evaluation, strategic planning, leadership training, operational planning and advocacy guidance. He has also addressed administrative and financial systems and/or policies to improve the agency infrastructure. Finally, he is actively coaching several executives as they address agency transitions and their career evolution. Joe is an advocate with over three decades of experience in various leadership roles designing and administering policy and service solutions through non-profits across an array of areas (e.g., early childhood, dual language immersion education, workforce training and design, publicly subsidized jobs, asset-building, homeless services, housing, anti-hunger, social impact bonds, justice systems, refugee resettlement, unaccompanied children, behavioral health and substance abuse), legal services (civil rights, consumer protection, language access requirements of public agencies, and immigration rights), and government (public benefits, subsidized jobs, child support, public health, health care reform, and food supports). Throughout these efforts he also has mentored and supported the development of a wide array of activists and professionals. Joe believes public advisory boards can play a significant role in forming public policy and currently serves on the Illinois Latino Family Commission, the Adult Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board, and the Illinois Statewide Health Improvement Planning Coordinating Council. He also is a Board member of IFF (a large regional CDFI), the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Illinois Public Health Institute and the Chicago Jobs Council. He continues to be an active member of the Illinois bar. His J.D. is from Columbus School of Law at Catholic University and his B.A. with honors is from Wesleyan University.