Meet The staff
Lane Chesebro
Executive Director
Lane is a proud graduate of both Kenwood Academy High School in Hyde Park and Illinois State University, where he studied sociology. He is an alumnus of Chicago Center's 2006 summer term and former Chicago Center Apprentice. Lane served as Director of Admissions and Student Affairs before transitioning to Associate Director in 2015. He took over as Interim Executive Director in December of 2016.
Cameron Dreher-Siefkes
Marketing Director
Cameron fell in love with Chicago in the summer of 2009 as a student of Chicago Center. After graduating from Southwestern College in 2010 with a degree in Communication, she was thrilled to return to the Center for her apprenticeship as the Recruitment and Campus Relations Coordinator. She was hired on as the Administrative Coordinator in 2012 and started her new role as Marketing Director in January of 2016.
Nancy Friesen
Urban Student Teaching Director
Nancy attended the program as an undergraduate and fell in love with the city and the Center’s educational philosophy. She has an MS in Teaching from U of C and over 15 years of classroom teaching experience. She’s worked with Chicago Center for over 25 years and has served as Student Teaching Program Director since ’09. She loves learning and helping others learn. She enjoys creating nature walks, art and music, and attending cultural events in the city.
Julian Thompson
Urban Social Work Director
Julian brings to the Chicago Center an academic background in both sociology and social work. He utilizes the tools of critical social work to engage students on a wide array of issues related to their field placements and the broader context of Chicago and beyond. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his kids, exploring great restaurants, attending music events, and biking through the city when the weather is nice.
Scott Chesebro
Urban Education Instructor
Scott has been with Chicago Center for more than 30 years and has served in the position of Executive Director and Academic Director as well as his current position of Urban Education Instructor. His seminars engage students directly with the city and its resources. He earned his PhD in Sociology from University of Notre Dame and taught in the traditional classroom for 8 years. Scott lives in Hyde Park with his wife Norene.
Alex Rieflin
Program Coordinator
Alex Rieflin is an alumni of the summer 2018 Chicago Center program and has since graduated with a bachelors in Theater and a minor in communications. He has arrived ready and willing to help in anyway he can! Fun fact: he also has two certifications in stage combat
Ally Franz
Program Coordinator
Ally has always enjoyed the city of Chicago, but fell even more in love when she attended the Chicago Center’s program as a social work student during the spring of 2017. After spending a few years away, she is very excited to return for her apprenticeship as Program Coordinator. A few of her favorite things in Chicago are the Lurie Garden in the spring, Cafe Ba-Be-Reeba!, and Bridgeport Coffee in Hyde Park.
