Since her early days in the classroom, Susan Infelt Work has fought to provide better experiences for students who may otherwise have slipped through the cracks.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Wartburg in 1971, a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Florida-Gainesville in 1975, and a doctorate in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1983, she moved to Chicago to assist her brother in his ministry in the Cabrini-Green public housing community.

As an advisory council member, she provided management and resource development for the new school founded by Holy Family Lutheran Church. In 1998, the council established Holy Family Ministries, an umbrella organization for the church’s school and youth programs. Work, who was named the organization’s first CEO on Jan. 1, 2000, has helped grow the nonprofit into a $3 million organization serving more than 500 children in one of Chicago’s most economically challenged neighborhoods.

“Her passion for children, education, and justice is evident in all of her interactions and decisions. She treats everyone with interest and respect and is warm and caring toward everyone,” wrote Carrie Dauner, a retired Holy Family employee. “She sees potential in everything and everyone and paints a big picture that excites and inspires everyone to give their all toward achieving the goal.”

With Work’s guidance, Holy Family Ministries has grown to include the faith-based PK-8 school, an out-of-school enrichment program, and a leadership development program for teens and young adults. When the school outgrew its rental facility, Work rallied support for a $9.7 million capital campaign to fund the Holy Family Ministries Center. In 2014, HFM opened Lucille, a 10,000-square-foot resale store named in honor of Work’s mother.

“Susan cares deeply about inequities in society and is doing everything she can to provide opportunity for underserved youth through Holy Family’s programs,” wrote Joan Sherman, a Holy Family Ministries board member. “She understands that to make inroads in students’ lives programs must address development of the whole child.”

To that end, she has tirelessly worked to develop a successful and sustainable model of urban education within a faith-based culture that applauds persistence and grit. Her efforts and the achievements of her staff and students were recognized in 2003 when the school was named a charter member of Schools That Can, a national organization for high-performing urban schools.