Eric Werge was a Youth Development Educator with the University of Illinois Extension for six years before becoming an Early College Outreach Educator in 2006. He has extensive program creation and delivery experience, having presented more than 500 workshops and keynote addresses which have reached thousands of youth and educators throughout the northeast region of Illinois. He has developed educational programs in such areas as leadership, effective communication, and conflict resolution. Through these programs, he has worked directly with youth of all ages as well as teachers, school administrators, volunteers and parents. Mr. Werge has worked in Chicago's inner-city communities for fifteen years. Prior to joining Extension, he was an elementary and junior high school teacher in the Englewood community and a youth director at a community organization in Hyde Park. He also served as the Executive Director of Athletes Committed to Educating Students (ACES), a tutoring/mentoring organization linking Chicago's professional sports teams with Chicago public school students. Mr. Werge earned his master's degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago and his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Mr. Werge will introduce high school and junior high students to the idea of college as a realistic goal for their own lives. He will couple this with enrichment programs and out-of-school educational opportunities that help students toward higher education. College visits, specialized summer academic enrichment camps, and college student shadowing days are just some of the programs and services Mr. Werge offers. His passion for increasing the educational and life opportunities for urban youth leads him to work in some of the most under-resourced schools and communities.