Janice Hurtado-Aeppli (she/her/hers)

Janice Hurtado Aeppli is a nonprofit executive with more than 25 years of experience in community engagement, fundraising, and volunteer development. She joined AFSP in 2006 as the Midwest Regional Director where she worked with the Illinois Chapter to grow the Chicago community walk to be the number one fundraising walk in the country. She was the first to serve as Division Director when AFSP’s division structure was implemented in 2008 and became Senior Director for the Central Division in 2015.

In her current role as Senior Vice President of Chapter Operations, she is responsible for the overall leadership, strategic management, growth, and development of AFSP’s national chapter structure.

Prior to AFSP, Janice served as Director of Board Placement and Director of Marketing and Communications for United Way. In that role, she trained corporate professionals for nonprofit board service and helped place executive women and people of color on nonprofit boards throughout the Chicago area, strengthening governance across more than 300 participating agencies.

Earlier in her career, Janice held fundraising and communications leadership roles with the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago and United Ways in NY State, where she managed major fundraising events, led communications strategies, and supported community investment initiatives.

Janice holds a Master of Science in Public Relations from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Binghamton University. She has completed professional training in leadership, suicide prevention, and diversity and inclusion; including certification for Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University - eCornell.

Born in the Philippines and raised in Upstate New York, Janice now lives in the Chicago area with her family. She is a survivor of suicide loss, losing her cousin to suicide. She is active in her community through volunteer leadership with local faith groups, diversity advisory initiatives, and service programs supporting families in need.