College of ACES"Illinois has a wonderful reputation as a research university," Christopher notes. "But the work they are doing in human and community development is equally intriguing and closely aligns with our company's mission "to enhance the quality of family life.'"
As a 1967 home economics alumna of the University of Illinois, and a home economics teacher and Extension educator, Doris Kelley Christopher was passionate about enhancing the quality of family life by bringing families together around the table. In 1980, she drew upon this experience and passion to create a company that offered professional-quality kitchen tools to make cooking easier and quicker so families could spend more time together.
With the support of her husband, Jay, and daughters Julie and Kelley, the business grew from her basement in suburban Chicago into a multi-national company called The Pampered Chef, with more than 60,000 Independent Consultants who hold one million Cooking Shows annually.
Doris and Jay Christopher established The Pampered Chef Family Resiliency Program in the Department of Human and Community Development in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in 2000. This program supports applied research that focuses on how families navigate the stressors and challenges of everyday life. It also supports graduate student fellowships and dissertation awards and a lecture series that brings nationally recognized experts in family resiliency to the Urbana campus.
The primary goals of the facility are to bring faculty together, support innovative research, provide academic and learning environments, and create an opportunity for public engagement. Its programs also will have impact at state and national levels.
To further enhance the Family Resiliency Program, the Christophers have established The Pampered Chef Endowed Chair in Family Resiliency in the Department of Human and Community Development with the support of The Pampered Chef.
