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FOUNDER · SJB EXPRESSIONS
Dr. Stéphanie Jean-Baptiste
PhD Sociology · Loyola University Chicago, 2024
Lead Fundraiser, The Ivy Chicago · Public Speaker
English, Français, Kreyòl Ayisyen
Equity work grounded
in structural analysis
Strategist.
Organizer.
Educator.
Dr. Stéphanie Jean-Baptiste is a sociologist, educator, public speaker, community organizer, and equity strategist who approaches her work by creating infrastructures that allows for diversity to be implemented and sustained.
She holds a PhD in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago, where her research examined power dynamics between international NGOs and the communities they serve. She has taught at three universities, educated 100+ students, and co-founded The Ivy Chicago, a BIPOC-led grassroots organization for which she raised over $10,000 and facilitated 10+ workshops.
She has spoken at the University of Illinois Chicago, the Haitian American Museum of Chicago, and the Leather Archives & Museum. She has built spaces, strategized on how to fund them, and created inclusive environments dedicated to education and autonomy.
Dr. Jean-Baptiste was born and raised in Haiti where she completed her primary education at L' Institution to Sacre-Coeur. de Turgeau; later earning her masters and PhD of Sociology at Loyola University Chicago. She dedicated her academic career to spreading the importance and significance of Haitian history on the global scale. Her focus is to elevate the voices of indigenous and marginalized communities in their fights for respect, rights, and continued cultural expression. She currently serves as a Haitian Kreyol Instructor where she helps first and second generation immigrants reconnect with their culture and language.
LEAD FUNDRAISER AND EDUCATOR · 2023–2025
The Ivy Chicago
BIPOC - LED GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION · SEXUAL HEALTH EDUCATION, RIGHTS & EMPOWERMENT · CHICAGO, IL
Before advising organizations on how to build community infrastructure, Dr. Jean-Baptiste helped built The Ivy Chicago, a BIPOC-led grassroots organization created in August 2023. The focus was on advancing sexual health education, rights, and empowerment for communities that don't have access to or knowledge of the resources needed to navigate their sexual expression safely. As Co-Program Coordinator, she led fundraising, workshop development, and marketing. The Ivy Chicago ran for two years, produced 10+ workshops, raised over $10,000, and built a sustained community in Chicago's BIPOC sexual health education spaces. It was retired in August 2025.
Grassroots Fundraising - $10,000 Raised
Led online crowdfunding campaigns, donor outreach. Wrote compelling campaign narratives that increased repeat contributions.
Social Media Management
Designed and implemented marketing strategies including branded social media content, which lead to increased donations and event attendance.
10+ Culturally Responsive Workshops and Events
Developed and facilitated over 10 workshops using culturally responsive frameworks to engage underserved sexual health education communities in Chicago.
Why It Matters for Clients
Advising an organization on fundraising strategy, program design, or community workshop development, comes from the experience of having done all three with very little financial or institutional support.
PUBLIC SPEAKING & TEACHING
Dr. Jean-Baptiste is an experienced public speaker and keynote presenter with engagements across universities, cultural institutions, community organizations, and academic conferences. Her focus has been on post-colonial theory, to BIPOC community-building, sexual health education, and Haitian diaspora culture. She is available for keynote addresses, panel presentations, university lectures, and community workshops.
Public Speaking
2025
"Building BIPOC Spaces Through a Social Justice Framework"
University of Illinois Chicago, Department of Psychology
2019
"Se Mèt Ko ki Veye Ko: Haitians' Attitudes Toward White Immigrants." Caribbean Studies Association Conference,
Santa Marta, Colombia.
2024
Konbit: Workshop Facilitator & Keynote Speaker
Haitian American Museum of Chicago
2018
"Reversing the Gaze: How Haitian Citizens Process the Presence of White Immigrants"
Haitian Studies Association, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
2024
Black Women in Kink Symposium - Guest Speaker
Leather Archives & Museum, Chicago
2017
"Redefining Borders." Global Studies Association,
Northampton University, UK.
Teaching
A decade of university teaching across Loyola University Chicago, Northern Illinois University, and Northeastern Illinois University, The Ivy Chicago. Classes were taught in person and fully online. TILT framework, andragogy, and Freirean pedagogy as lived practice.
Courses Taught:
– Globalization and Society
– Race & Ethnicity
– Black Studies
– Social Movements
- Introduction to Sociology
– Race, Crime, & the Criminal Justice System
– Professions and Society
– Global Inequalities
– Inequality in Society
– Educating in a BIPOC space
– Boundaries : How to Say No
- Community Care as a Form of Self Care
– Taking Care of your Tools
CREDENTIALS
Education & Funding Record
2024
Ph.D., Sociology
Loyola University Chicago
Dissertation: Ou Pa Moun Bò Isit: Haitian Locals' Attitudes Toward NGO Representatives
2016
M.A., Sociology
Loyola University Chicago
Thesis: Media Representation of Haitians in Mainstream and African American Newspapers
Fellowships
2022 - 2023
Arthur J. Schmitt
Leadership Fellowship
Loyola University of Chicago
2020 - 2021
Teaching Scholar Fellowship
Loyola University of Chicago
2018
Distinguished Graduate Instructor Award
Loyola University of Chicago
2013-2016
Graduate Fellowship
Loyola University of Chicago
2013
B.A., Sociology,
Cum Laude
Queens College
City University of New-York
2019 - 2020
Graduate Research Assistantship
National Science Foundation
2012-2013
City University of New York Pipeline Fellow
Queens College, CUNY
2012
South Africa Study Abroad Scholarship
Mellon Mays · Queens College
2010-2012
Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
Queens College, CUNY