Director of Institutional Giving

Born in Belarus, Ida Kutechko moved to the US at age three, not long after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Her parents settled outside of Chicago, near already emigrated relatives. Ida grew up across the street from a cornfield. 

At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ida majored in Global Studies, focusing on food sustainability in Eastern Europe and Russia. Drawn to volunteer work, she took a job after graduation as a residential caregiver for adults with developmental disabilities at a center in rural Virginia. She later joined Americorps near Baltimore, focusing on volunteer engagement, before becoming a volunteer coordinator for an HIV/AIDS social enterprise in New York. 

Ida returned to Chicago to earn a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Illinois while working with several other nonprofits. 

Now focused on grant writing and project management at America SCORES, Ida loves that SCORES allows kids to explore multiple sides of themselves. She’s also drawn to the service component of the program. “It’s important to help youth explore the significant issues their communities face and to encourage a feeling of empowerment.”

Contact Ida - ida@americascores.org