After a seven-month search, a committee in July unanimously appointed Amy Chan as the new Director of the University of Chicago Service Center (UCSC) and Associate Dean of Students in the University.

Chan, a Chicago native, spent the last fifteen years working with nonprofit youth leadership groups in Washington, DC, Boston, and San Francisco. Most recently, Chan worked as the Director of Youth Programs at the Center for Civic Leadership in San Francisco, where she partnered high school students with over 180 non-profit, government, and business organizations.

“I want the UCSC to be the best resource possible to maximize [students’] community impact and their own learning outside the classroom,” Chan said. “This is a transition year for me and the UCSC, and my hope is to listen and learn as much as possible before making any specific plans.”

Throughout the academic year, Chan will coordinate with the leaders of the 75 community service-oriented RSOs, helping link them with volunteer organizations throughout Chicago.

Chicago Studies Director Chad Broughton chaired the committee responsible for finding a new director. The committee, which consisted of over a dozen faculty, administrators, students, and alumni, picked Chan from a pool of 150 candidates.

“We are excited to have her,” UCSC Assistant Director Trudi Langendorf said. “She is hardworking and eager to dig in and learn and offer up some new leadership [for the UCSC].”

In an e-mail, Broughton said that Chan’s leadership will provide an opportunity for the UCSC to improve collaboration among community service RSOs.

Fourth year Eamon Hartnett, a coordinator for the community service RSO Calvert Circle, said that Chan should focus on making sure that students knew about all of the service opportunities available on campus.

“We must focus more on how students can get involved and spread the word about the UCSC,” Hartnett said.

Though not yet very familiar with the new director, Hartnett said he expects great things from the UCSC, building on the work of previous director Wallace Goode. “We must focus more on how students can get involved and spread the word about the UCSC,” he said.

Before Chan, College Programming Office director and Assistant Dean of the College Lori Hurvitz had been acting as interim director since UCSC director Wallace Goode abruptly resigned his position in December.