After 13 years in the insurance industry, Maria Kim joined Cara – a social enterprise uplifting people and communities affected by poverty through the power of employment. Cara produces 1,000 jobs each year, with permanent placements at retention rates over 20 points higher than national norms, and with over 80% of employed participants pivoting from homelessness to permanent housing in which their families can thrive. Maria serves on the boards of EPIC Academy (a charter high school in South Chicago) and Rebuilding Exchange (a social enterprise in the circular economy). She is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow since 2008, a 2012 American Marshall Memorial Fellow, a 2013 TEDxMidwest Emerging Leader, and a 2018 Bank of America Vital Voices Global Ambassador. Maria holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.