Fair Chance Hiring Academy

Nikki Chilton joined the Transformative Workforce Academy team as strategic partnership manager in spring of 2024. She focuses on recruiting employers and building strong relationships with a variety of industries, companies and in the community. Chilton brings an entrepreneurial spirit to SLU TWA with her diverse professional experience in both the corporate world and in higher education. Her experience in project management, program development, communication and strategy position her with a unique perspective and ability to see needs and connect people. Chilton holds a BFA in graphic design and Master of Arts in Education in curriculum and instruction. Chilton loves to read, create, get outdoors, and dabble in as many wellness modalities as possible. When she's not advocating for SLU TWA, she can be found teaching yoga, as she is a RYT200 certified yoga teacher, or spending time with her husband, her two amazing kiddos, family and friends.

Meredith Rataj is the program director for the Transformative Workforce Academy. Rataj previously worked in immigrant services for 15 years at St. Francis Community Services as a licensed bilingual (in Spanish) marriage and family therapist and later as the director of immigrant services. Entering the world of reentry services in 2022, she noted the similarities in systemic barriers for justice-involved and immigrant populations and wanted to be a part of building bridges of integration for all community members to feel welcome and to thrive. Rataj most enjoys partnering with creative people to work together to implement solutions. When she’s not working, you can find her running on a paved trail, listening to an NPR podcast or on the side of a soccer or baseball field, cheering on her two teenagers.

Jeff Smith leads the Missouri Workforce Housing Association and serves as the strategic consultant for SLU’s Transformative Workforce Academy. Previously, he served in the Missouri Senate, sponsoring and passing legislation reforming education, environmental and criminal justice policy. As an author, Jeff wrote the critically acclaimed Mr. Smith Goes to Prison, which blends memoir and policy advocacy. Jeff, whose TED talk lauded prison entrepreneurship, also chaired St. Louis County’s jail advisory board for five years and currently serves on several non-profit boards. He earned a B.A. in Black Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science at Washington University.