Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers Appoints Micheil Pruni as Director of Midtown Achievement Center
Micheil Pruni (pictured above) has been promoted to the Director of Midtown Achievement Center.
CHICAGO—Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers (Midtown-Metro) is excited to share the appointment of Micheil Pruni as the new Director of its Midtown Achievement Center for boys, where he will continue walking alongside young men and families on Chicago’s West and South Sides.
This photo, taken in 2014, features Micheil Pruni (second from left) with fellow Midtown summer advisors Frank Palos, Anthony Giuntini, and Peter Foley. These summer advisors are high-performing college students with strong character from across the globe who serve at Midtown for 7 weeks each summer and assist with program execution and student mentorship.
Micheil’s story at Midtown is one marked by relationships, growth, and deep commitment. He first joined Midtown in the summer of 2014 as a college student serving as a Summer Advisor, where he quickly experienced the power of consistent mentorship, high expectations, and genuine community. What began as a summer role in 2014—and continued when he returned again as a Summer Advisor in 2015—became a calling and ultimately a career rooted in helping young men discover their potential and live with purpose.
In 2019, Micheil joined Midtown’s full-time staff as College Orientation Program Manager, supporting students as they transitioned from high school into college. In 2022, he was promoted to Director of the College Orientation Program, expanding support for alumni navigating persistence, challenges, and growth beyond Midtown’s walls. In January 2024, Micheil stepped into the role of Assistant Center Director while also leading Midtown’s Middle School Program, helping shape the earliest stages of academic habits, character development, and belonging.
Over the past decade, Micheil has devoted his professional life to Midtown’s mission—working closely with students, families, volunteers, and staff through a holistic approach that blends academics, athletics, character formation, and mentorship. His leadership has also been recognized beyond Midtown. In 2024, he was named Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) Chicago Young Professional of the Year, and he was selected for the 2025 Military Mentors Fellowship in Washington, D.C., a national cohort focused on developing leaders through mentorship and service.
Pruni pictured with this family in Ohio.
Micheil earned his B.A. in Sociology with a minor in History from The Ohio State University, where he was also a founding member of his fraternity chapter. Raised in a small town in eastern Ohio as the middle of five siblings, Micheil credits his upbringing—and years spent playing competitive sports—with shaping his love for teamwork, discipline, and leadership. Outside of Midtown, he enjoys reading, cooking and exploring new restaurants, weightlifting, and traveling, with favorite experiences including visits to Cambodia, Egypt, and Vietnam.
Pruni (back row, center) pictured with some of this middle school students and staff during Midtown’s Summer 2025 awards ceremony.
“It’s an honor to step into this role and follow the footsteps of a long line of directors who have poured themselves into this organization. I’ve watched firsthand how this mission can shape the lives of young men—and how it shapes everyone who comes into contact with it. The work here isn’t transactional. It’s about forming people, challenging one another to live with purpose, strive for virtue, and build the habits of a well-lived life. I’m proud to continue the work that so many others have carried before me.”
As Micheil steps into this new role, Midtown-Metro also pauses to thank and honor Daniel Matamoros, who has faithfully led Midtown since 2023. Daniel’s leadership strengthened student supports, advanced operational systems, and helped steward Midtown through a season of growth and transition. Daniel has accepted a new role as Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and we are grateful for his service and wish him and his family every blessing as they begin this next chapter in Tennessee.
“Micheil represents the very best of Midtown—someone who has been formed by this mission and, in turn, has helped form countless young men through his leadership, presence, and example. He understands that Midtown’s work is not transactional, but relational and transformational. I am deeply grateful for Daniel Matamoros’s leadership over the past several years and excited to see Micheil carry this work forward with humility, conviction, and a clear commitment to our students and families.”
Micheil Pruni (left), pictured alongside Metro alumna, Gisselle Contreras (center) and Executive Director, Vince Meno (right) during the 2024 YNPN Chicago Awards.
Micheil’s appointment reflects both continuity and hope for the future of Midtown Achievement Center. With deep roots in the community, trusted relationships with students and families, and a clear belief in the power of mentorship and character formation, Micheil is well prepared to guide Midtown into its next chapter.
About Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers: Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers (www.midtown-metro.org), through its Metro Achievement Center for girls and Midtown Achievement Center for boys, has helped close the achievement gap for underserved students in Chicago since its founding in 1965. Its programming, focusing on academic excellence, virtue development, individual attention, and parental engagement, has led to 100% high school graduation and college enrollment for its students for over 25 consecutive years.