Over the years, Chicago resident Uta Staley has maintained a fine balance between her philanthropic activities and recreational pursuits, cultivating a high degree of community stewardship and civic involvement in the process. As a member of the Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago, Staley provides financial support to students from Ethiopia who wish to attend universities in the United States. Owing in part to the support of Uta Staley, Ethiopian undergraduates have been able to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and other top-ranked American schools. Aside from the Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago, she has donated to The Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Alliance Française de Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Newberry Library, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, and the Chicago Lyric Opera. A member of the Woman’s Athletic Club and the Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago, Uta Staley enjoys exercising, dancing, attending theater productions, traveling, and watching Chicago sports teams, with a particular love of the Bulls, Bears, and Cubs.

Born and raised in Germany, Uta Staley completed her postsecondary education at the College of the Ursulines in Darmstadt and subsequently began a multifaceted career, spending 25 years in the travel and tourism industry. Today, Uta Staley primarily acts as a private investor and philanthropist.