Vice President of Policy & Advocacy
Sophie Milam joined the Greater Chicago Food Depository in April 2019. As vice president of policy and advocacy, Sophie leads the Food Depository’s efforts to advance policy solutions to hunger and the root causes of poverty and racial inequity and to connect residents to public benefit programs like SNAP and Medicaid.
Sophie is an accomplished social policy expert with more than 20 years of experience in strategy, research, and programs. Having worked for members of Congress, national and local nonprofit organizations, and academic research centers, Sophie brings a unique perspective on what it takes to successfully advance evidence-based solutions to the pressing issues facing food insecure populations and communities.
Sophie spent over a decade working in public policy in Washington, DC, serving in senior policy roles with Feeding America and Bread for the World, and spent several years working in policy research and innovation at the University of Chicago and Cornell University. Early in her career, Sophie served as a legislative aide in Congress and on political campaigns at the local and national level.
Outside of work, Sophie spends time with her husband and her young son. In her spare time, she loves rock climbing, exploring craft breweries, listening to live music and traveling.
Education
Sophie earned her master of public policy with honors from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in psychology.