Kili Class
2025 Conquering Kili Class
Role
Clean Water Advocate
Location
Charlottesville, VA
Jonathan Chasen was lucky to adopted as a baby by a single mother, along with five siblings. His first nearly 10 years was spent in Fry’s Spring where he attended Jackson-Via elementary before moving to Fredericksburg to be near his aging grandparents. His mother was a pediatric RN at UVA but discontinued her profession to raise her adopted children and take in foster children along with running an in-home day care center. A diverse upbringing among the chaos and joy of so many children taught Jonathan important lessons about tolerance and privilege. Life as a child was often outside, though well within the confines of suburban America.
Though UVA said, “no thanks”, Jonathan was please to attend Virginia Commonwealth University where he not only earned his degree but also the hand of his wife, Chrissy, for the past 26 years. Determined to make it back to the Charlottesville area, he moved his highly successful financial advisory practice to the downtown mall in 2008, commuting from his former home of Orange County, Virginia. That practice is ranked among the Best-in-State by Forbes/SHOOK. He and his wife finally pulled the trigger to move to Albemarle in 2015. Here their children (two of their own and their niece whom spent much of her childhood in their home) graduated from Monticello High School and have spread their wings in Nebraska, North Carolina and Virginia.
A long admirer of the military service in within his family (grandparents and brother are veterans), Jonathan decided early on to serve his community in other ways. Following in his grandfathers’ footprints (helped repeal the former limit of age 65 for blood donations), he’s given to the American Red Cross since his initial eligibility. In addition, he’s served as President of the Chamber of Commerce in Orange County, Board President for Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville Albemarle, Vice Chairman (rising Chair) of the Charlottesville Area Chamber of Commerce, on the board of the Charlottesville Economic Development Authority and too many other volunteer and board positions to name concisely. Outside of this work, he loves to explore the culture of the area, including restaurants, breweries, wineries, theater, and art. Interested in pursuing physical fitness, Jonathan is excited to be a part of the 2025 Conquering Kili class, and to be learning more about the global water crisis through the philanthropic efforts of Waterboys.
Each new Conquering Kili class accepts the challenge to embark for the summit, a walk that represents the miles that many African women journey on a daily basis to fetch water for their families. While training for the climb, each team member works to raise funds and transform communities through the gift of clean water.