Children's Home & Aid CEO and leadership

Angelica Stapert is a SVP & CFO at Children’s Home + Aid.

Jan Stepto-Millett joined Children’s Home & Aid in 2011 as Vice President of Early Childhood Services. In September 2018 she was appointed Interim Chief Operating Officer and in July 2019 she officially assumed the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Jan’s professional career spans 30 years of committed service to improve the lives of children and families in the not-for-profit, public and private sectors. Before returning to her native Chicago in 2003, Jan lived in Boston, Massachusetts and Kalamazoo, Michigan where she worked for Abt Associates as an Evaluation Assistant, Lena Park Community Development Corporation as the Deputy Director, Kalamazoo Public Schools as the Special Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools and Child Care Resources as the Executive Director. Upon returning to Chicago, she served as Chief Operating Officer of Centers for New Horizons in the Bronzeville community and District Director for Child Development at City Colleges of Chicago. During her tenure as Vice President for Early Childhood Services, the Early Childhood program grew in numbers from 550 to over 800 children, with increased federal and state support.

Jan holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Social Work from Atlanta University. She has completed coursework in management at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and as a Fellow with the Loyola School of Business Administration’s Executive Leadership Program. Jan was also a McCormick Foundation Community Fellow at Loyola University Center for Urban Research and Learning, and an Emerging Leader in the Bank of America National Neighborhood Leadership Excellence Program.

Kent Suarez is a CFO at Children’s Home + Aid and is based in Greater Chicago Area. He has worked as General Auditor at KEMPER CORP, Senior VP - Internal Audit at ABN AMRO Bank, and Senior VP - Audit at LaSalle Bank. Kent attended DePaul University between 1984 and 1986.

Sara Irmen has over 23 years of nonprofit and fundraising experience. As the Chief Advancement Officer, Sara is responsible for creating, leading and implementing an integrated resource development and advancement strategy to build the organization’s visibility, impact, and financial resources. Sara and her team raise funds from private philanthropic contributions and public/private partnerships, and engage volunteer leadership to support Children’s Home & Aid’s annual operating budget, campaign goals and strategic initiatives.

Sara’s experience involves oversight of every facet of fundraising and involvement in four major campaigns, ranging from $2M to $75M. Her professional training as a social worker and early childhood teacher, combined with expertise in fundraising, have converged in her work at Children’s Home & Aid and fueled a track record of success.

Prior to joining Children’s Home & Aid in 2006, Sara raised funds for the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, and worked in Chicacgo as a lead Head Start teacher at Howard Area Community Center and as a foster care case manager for ChildServ.

Sara received a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University.

Sean Soun is a Chief People Officer at Children’s Home + Aid.