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Damika Hayden, MPA, currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer at The Cradle, a position held since February 2023. Previously, Damika was the Chief Financial and Operating Officer at LINK Unlimited Scholars from 2021 to 2022, and the Director of Finance at the Chicago Literacy Alliance from 2018 to 2021. Damika's extensive experience includes a longstanding tenure at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, where roles spanned from Director of Operations to Senior Accountant between 2007 and 2018. Other employment prior to 2007 included various financial and underwriting positions at Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Chubb Insurance, and State Farm. Damika holds a Bachelorā€™s degree in Finance from Illinois State University and a Master of Public Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University, specializing in Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management.