Director
Baronica Roberson
Director, Finance & Administration
Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Baronica brings extensive experience in financial management and operations to GDDF. Before joining GDDF in 2021, Baronica served for seven years as Deputy Commissioner/Chief Financial and Operating Officer for Chicago Public Library (CPL), where she oversaw budgeting and staffing, as well as stewarding of its endowment. In 2015, she was selected as a part of the inaugural class of the Civic Leadership Academy of the University of Chicago. Baronica serves as Chairman of the board of the African American Legacy Fund of the Chicago Community Trust.
She also serves on the boards of Bright Promises Foundation, Chicago Dancemakers Forum, Monarch Awards Foundation, and the Chicago Chapter Charities Foundation, and she is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Links, Inc. An alumna of Spelman College, University of Illinois at Chicago, and University of Chicago, Baronica holds degrees and certificates in African American Studies and Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management, accounting, and finance.
Chicago raised, Baronica loves, and frequently visits, the natural and cultural resources of Chicago—the lakefront; the parks; and the many museums and art galleries. Outside of work Baronica enjoys reading and family research and genealogy. She and her husband John have three children.