Jeremy Edwards
Director of Admissions
Jeremy joined Chicago Harris in Spring of 2011 as the Director of Admissions. With a strong knowledge of both public policy and organizational strategy, Jeremy has been responsible for the implementation of new recruitment strategies and procedures, and the evaluation and selection of prospective students.
Jeremy served as the Coordinator of International Relations for a coastal village in Japan, where he developed foreign affairs curriculum and partnerships with local schools and foreign agencies. He worked for a boutique immigration law firm in Chicago, specializing in labor visas, asylum research, and Homeland Security and Department of Labor policies. Jeremy also served as Deputy Director where he developed strategic plans and program evaluation for a health education pilot program at Chicago Public Schools. His professional career outside of academic administration includes serving as a policy and strategy consultant for startup-up organizations, non-profits, and marketing firms. Jeremy is an accomplished fine-art photographer and musician, and resides on the north side of Chicago with his son, Owyn.
Jeremy holds a Master’s degree in International Public Service Management from DePaul University, and has studied non-profit public service and policy in Germany, and labor migration in China. He received his BA in International Development and Organizational Communication from Murray State University.
Maggie DeCarlo
PhD Inquiries Only
Maggie was born in Detroit, MI and has a long history of public policy and community development work experience in the public private and non-profit sectors beginning as a kid when she tagged along on the various community projects her mother was involved with in their eastside neighborhood. Her formal work in policy and advocacy began with the Warren/Conner Development Coalition a non-profit focusing on healthy neighborhoods, economic development and political empowerment. As a program director for organization Maggie oversaw a national award winning youth program funded by Health and Human Services/Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and later the “Rebuilding Communities, Initiative” a five city capacity building pilot program of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
From 1996 to 2000, Maggie served as an appointee for the Honorable Dennis Archer, Mayor of the City of Detroit, where she was Deputy Director/Service Coordinator for the Butzel Family Center an 80,000+ square foot municipal facility that housed government, private and not for profit family serving agencies providing “cradle to grave” services and recreation activities for residents of Detroit’s eastside. Upon relocating to Chicago in 2000, Maggie went to worked for a Illinois State Representative and later the Chicago Chapter of the American Red Cross as manager of Community Education.
In 2002 Maggie began her studies at The Harris School of Public Policy and was recruited to her current position as Director of Admissions in 2003. Maggie attended the University of Michigan where she was first introduced to the formal study of Public Policy in the program that is now known as PPIA and later graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Economics. Maggie lives in the Woodlawn community near the University and she hopes to continue to work towards the completion of her MPP.
Lydia Lazar
Associate Dean for Recruitment and Career Development
Lydia Lazar joined the Chicago Harris senior management team in 2010 with oversight responsibility for the Admissions office and the Office of Career Development. Prior to coming to the University of Chicago, Dean Lazar served as the Assistant Dean for International Law and Policy Development at Chicago-Kent College of Law. She holds an AB degree in international relations from Dartmouth College, a master’s degree in geography from Columbia University, and a JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Earlier in her career, Dean Lazar was an executive with Waste Management International in London, and she served as chief of staff to the executive director of the Division of Public Structures in the Koch Administration in New York City. A member of the Illinois Bar, Dean Lazar practiced in the corporate and securities group of Sachnoff & Weaver (now Reed Smith LLP) prior to joining Chicago-Kent as assistant dean.
Lydia Lazar is the past president of the Chicago Chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States of America, and has also served on the boards of the Three Arts Club and Gaia Theater. She is a former president of the board of HealthConnect One (formerly the Chicago Health Connection), and has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors of World Chicago.
Rhonda Roseboro
Admissions Coordinator
Rhonda joined the Chicago Harris Admissions team in the Winter of 2010 as the Admissions Coordinator. Along with planning on-campus prospective student events and supporting the Admissions process, Rhonda works closely with Harris School Registered Student Organizations and is the liaison to the Office of International Affairs. She is also very active in the University of Chicago’s Campus and Student Life office, serving as an appointed member of the Bias Response Team, and Resident Head for the International House. She has previously worked in secondary and higher education Admissions/ Student Life and Activities offices.
A native Hyde Park Chicagoan, Rhonda received a BA in English Literature and Grammar from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as well as an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Loyola University Chicago. She is an active member of Chicago’s Junior League Chapter, and a mentor for the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund. Rhonda resides in Hyde Park with her dog, Maximus.
