In her work as the Director of Human Resources for the University of Chicago’s Quadrangle Club and the David Rubenstein Forum, Latasha Sampson has made it her mission to connect fellow South Siders with jobs at the University.

Growing up in nearby Morgan Park and attending elementary school in Washington Park just a few miles from UChicago’s campus, Sampson said she felt disconnected from the University and was unaware of its education and employment opportunities. She’s now focused on breaking down that barrier for current residents.

“How can we expose people to opportunities that they may not know of, right in their back yard? That’s so important,” Sampson said.

The University hiring more local employees creates positive impact going both ways, she added. South Side residents can provide firsthand insight into what their communities need, and local employees and the University can work together to develop ways to better serve and engage their neighbors. For instance, Sampson’s team hosted a school supply drive over the summer and collected winter coats and hats for community members more recently.

“I’m all about bridging the gap between the employer and the community,” said Sampson, who has worked at the University since 2020. “I try to make sure that [employees and potential employees] understand the importance of operating in the neighborhood in which you live and what that can do for your community.”

Sampson, who mainly places candidates in hospitality and service roles, said she’s been able to forge strong connections with local candidates in part through partnerships the Office of Civic Engagement helped facilitate through its role leading the UChicago Local initiative.

Working with the Chicago Urban League and local nonprofit employment agency One on One, Sampson hosts special virtual presentations for local potential applicants and has established a direct recruiting pipeline in which candidates passed along from the nonprofits’ networks are prioritized for interviews. Twenty-four current employees hired at the Rubenstein Forum and Quadrangle Club live in the University’s nine-neighborhood focus area on the South Side and Sampson estimates approximately 80 percent of her team members are South Side residents.

The University’s existing relationships with several Chicago hospitality schools have been instrumental in Sampson’s efforts as well. In addition to recruiting directly with Kendall College, where Sampson also teaches human resources courses as an adjunct professor, Sampson works with other local partners and provides HR consulting at South Side community churches and schools. Building partnerships with community colleges, such as City Colleges of Chicago, is another recruitment avenue she says she’s focused on pursuing recently.

Sampson’s work is representative of a broader effort across campus—through the UChicago Local initiative—to provide South Side residents a clear path to employment opportunities at the University, UChicago Medicine, and their vendor networks, as well as opportunities to grow and advance. As a result of the initiative, campus partners have removed barriers to employment for local justice-involved individuals, for instance, and formed new partnerships with community groups and local workforce agencies to strengthen pathways to employment for local applicants. This includes coordinating and expanding internships for local youth as well as training hiring managers in inclusive practices.

In the past quarter, Sampson said the culture and community connection her team has fostered has led to 14 hires based on employee referrals.

“To me, that speaks volumes to what we’re doing here that people are bringing their family members, their friends, their coworkers from another property to work with us,” Sampson said. “It’s about making people feel warm and fuzzy and want to be a part of your team.”