Metropolitan Leadership Institute

mli > Contents
5 > United Neighborhood Network Leadership
8 >Need for Public Leadership & Goals
10 >Program
13 >Profiles
30 >Directory
Leadership
Leadership
Philip J. Mullins
Chief Strategy Officer, UNO
Philip Mullins has improved the lives of thousands through his efforts
in Chicago Public School Reform, leadership training, immigrant
legalization and modernizing delivery of important social services.
Mr. Mullins, Chief Strategy Officer of the United Neighborhood
Organization (UNO), has called upon the tools of community
organizing since the 1980s to create or advance the cause of several
prominent Chicago advocacy and service providers: UNO, El Hogar
del Niño, the suburban Interfaith Leadership Project, Latino Youth
Alternative High School and the Pilsen Chamber of Commerce.
Today, Mr. Mullins directs UNO’s strategic organizing and leadership
training/development initiatives. In the early days of Chicago school
reform, he spearheaded UNO’s efforts to organize thousands of
parents who wanted a stronger voice in their neighborhood schools.
These efforts culminated in legislation that created and implemented
Local School Councils throughout Chicago.
Later, Mr. Mullins developed the Latino advocacy group’s grassroots
health outreach strategy, which has connected nearly 70,000 Hispanics
throughout metropolitan Chicago with free or reduced-cost healthcare.
In the 1990s, he turned his attention to changing the federal government’s pernicious and inefficient citizen legalization efforts. Bringing
together 2,000 volunteers and the efforts of 100 churches across
metropolitan Chicago was the highpoint in an effort that helped
65,000 people become U.S. Citizens.
Mr. Mullins has conducted an analysis of inefficiencies for the former
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services agency and co-developed
a Chicago community outreach strategy to address its 60,000 applicant
backlog. Mr. Mullins trained 18 church-based organizations in four
states that participated in the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) Active
Citizenship Campaign.
But one of Mr. Mullins’ most innovative and lasting works can be found
in UNO’s Metropolitan Leadership Institute, an effort that has trained
hundreds of new Latino leaders in the art of community organizing.
Today, many of its alumni hold prominent positions in business,
government and higher education.
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Leadership
Leadership
Peter Martinez
Director, UIC Center for Urban Leadership
Peter Martinez has been involved with MLI since its creation; measuring
program effectiveness, lending expertise in community organizing and
providing real examples for the analysis of power plays and organizing
tactics. Mr. Martinez has over 40 years of experience in leadership training
and organization development.
His organizing career includes working with the Organization for the
Southwest Community (OSC), a Saul Alinsky Industrial Areas Foundation
(IAF) project, where he became Executive Director within three years.
His responsibilities included managing projects across the southwest
and running organizer and leadership trainings nationally. He continued
conducting leadership trainings as the Latino Institute’s Associate Director
for organizations including UNO. That work brought him to international
cities such as Johannesburg, Soweto, Cape Town, Durban, and Port
Elizabeth for the South African Council of Churches.
Mr. Martinez later became the first full-time Executive Director of the
Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA), where
he increased the dues-paying membership four-fold, initiated paid
affirmative action contracts as a way of funding the operating budget.
He also created the group’s successful annual banquet.
In 1991, Mr. Martinez became a Senior Program Officer at the MacArthur
Foundation, in charge of their $40 million Chicago Education Initiative.
A decade later, he left MacArthur to design and co-found a dramatically
innovative urban principal preparation program called the Center for
Urban Education Leadership at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC),
where he is currently the Director of Leadership Coaching.
In the decade since the program was formed, it has prepared 60 new
transformative principals for Chicago’s public schools. In fact, one of those
leaders is the school director for UNO’s Veterans Memorial High School
which opened in 2008. Mr. Martinez continues to consult on the school’s
design and development. Last year, the George W. Bush Alliance to
Reform Education Leadership designated the UIC initiative an exemplary
model principal preparation program.
In 2009, Mr. Martinez was among the 22 individuals chosen from a field
of over 800 nominees to serve on the national committee to develop
Accomplished Principal Standards for U.S. schools.
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7
Goals
Goals
A Need for Public Leadership
To Cultivate Hispanic Professionals As Leaders
There are great numbers of talented Hispanic professionals who have the
Each new immigrant population in the United States has advanced with
the help of grassroots leaders who organized for power.
capacity and interest to serve as public leaders. However, these voices
have been absent from the important discourse that’s shaped the
Hispanic community to this point. MLI seeks to reverse this trend by
Hispanics are no different. If we are to drive our own success, we must
engaging a new generation of Hispanic professionals and challenging
see ourselves as the standard bearers of America’s latest wave of new
them to make their voices heard.
immigrants. That means Hispanics must become more involved and
influential in areas of the economy that drive public policy, shape
MLI also seeks to promote the backgrounds of its members, many
political discourse and open the important doors of opportunity
of whom come from Chicago’s inner-city Hispanic neighborhoods.
in the private sector.
Their stories of success should be held up as examples for an aspiring
immigrant community.
Civic leadership must become an integral part of the Hispanic
community’s value system.
These new leaders must forge strong networks that anchor the Hispanic
community in the United States and ensure its success for generations
to come.
To Train Those We Inspire
Leadership programs often do little to inspire participants and promote
change, leaving them discouraged or disillusioned by the ups and downs
Goals
The Metropolitan Leadership Institute was created by UNO in 2001 to
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of the public arena. MLI aims to provide a candid and realistic take on
the public arena, illuminating its many nuances to help new leaders
generate results rather than frustration.
build public leadership within the Hispanic population of metropolitan
Ultimately, MLI seeks to nudge new leaders into the fold –
Chicago. Bringing together UNO’s 30 years of experience in community
to “take the plunge” and participate in public life. And while
organizing, with insights from accomplished public and private sector
MLI does provide time for reflection and planning, the program,
leaders, MLI seeks to fulfill the following goals.
like change itself, is about action.
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Goals
MLI Program
The MLI Program
Monthly Roundtable
The MLI offers a year-long program that focuses on the following:
The main programmatic activity of MLI is a series of monthly roundtable
discussions. MLI Discussions provide the opportunity for members to talk
about themes related to public leadership, their assigned readings and the
day’s pertinent issues and news.
Leadership Plans
The MLI is not an academic exercise. The program challenges its members to develop
a strategic plan for change and to act on it. The central programmatic tool for this
aspect of MLI is the “Leadership Plan.”
Each member of the MLI is required to draft and implement his/her own Leadership
Plan. Similar to a business plan, an MLI Leadership Plan is a written document that
outlines a member’s vision for change by setting measurable goals and benchmarks.
Leadership Plans are drafted and assessed with support from MLI leadership.
Private and off the record, MLI discussions do not focus on political correctness
or academic analysis. These conversations create a unique venue for open
and candid dialogue. MLI discussions are either conducted internally by MLI
leadership or led by an invited MLI discussion chair. Individuals invited to be
MLI discussion chairs range from accomplished elected officials and business
leaders to political analysts and members of the media. Former MLI discussion
chairs include:
> Former Mayor Richard M. Daley
> Author Peter Skerry
Results
UNO previously commissioned an evaluation of the MLI by Peter Martinez, Director of
the UIC Center for Urban Leadership. The following are the report’s key findings:
> 100% of MLI members stated that their understanding
of leadership grew during the program.
> 87% of members reported that they had expanded
their networks as a result of their MLI training.
> One in four members stated that they had received a promotion
during the course of the program, which they directly attributed
to their MLI experience.
To find out more about the program and to apply
for the MLI, please visit our website: www.mlichicago.com
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> Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan
> Former CEO of Chicago Public Schools Paul Vallas
> Author Nicolás C. Vaca
> Alderman Edward M. Burke > Chicago Sun Times columnist Mary Mitchell
Readings List
MLI reading lists are created to challenge members’ views of the public arena.
These readings cover interpretations of classical texts, history and contemporary studies of race relations and political strategy. When possible, the authors
of these works serve as Discussion Chairs during the MLI program.
Power Analysis
MLI members are required to complete a series of written analyses to assess
the evolving dynamics of the public arena and the exten of their own public
relationships.
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Profile
Profile
Daniel Anello
Chief of Strategy, Chicago International Charter School
Daniel Anello’s mother and father were an interracial couple in an era when such relationships were decried. They relocated to rural upstate New York for a fresh start and to raise
their children. Growing up as the only brown kids in a poor rural town, “one can imagine
that justice and equality became constant themes in my household,” Daniel says.
Daniel went to an under-resourced public school that didn’t offer college preparatory
coursework, AP classes, or even pre-calculus. “College was not on many people’s radar,”
he shares. “Often, one graduated high school, got married, and worked in the local mill.”
However, Daniel’s parents always made it evident that through a college education there
were other opportunities – places where Daniel’s inherent passion for combatting injustice,
particularly those connected to poverty and color, could be pursued.
Daniel earned a Bachelor of Mathematics from Williams College and a Master of Business
Administration from Chicago Booth. He worked in marketing for a medical startup
company. Next he became a brand manager for Unilever. “I sold a lot of deodorant,”
he explains humbly. Despite his corporate successes, he still felt unfulfilled.
Adjacent to his career, Daniel continued to find ways to address his passion for fighting
injustice, helping families of color in particular, by donating his time to education.
The meaningfulness of those efforts eventually catalyzed Daniel to take his skills into
the education and focus on supporting those trapped by bias and bad circumstances
in poor school systems.
Daniel entered the education sector, intent on addressing inequalities in schools, and
in particular, in school funding. He believes that helping a generation escape the cycle of
poverty will change everything. Today, he is the Chief of Strategy for Chicago International
Charter School. He is committed to ensuring that every school offers the same level of
attention and funding to students, no matter the child’s economic circumstances.
Daniel’s work with MLI reinforced his commitment to the disadvantaged. He admits,
“I was surprised by the level of honest discourse at MLI, by the willingness to talk
so openly. These people are training new leaders. It gives me hope for the future.”
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mli > Class of 2013
13
Profile
Profile
Claudia Ayala
Campaign and Campus Coordinator, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization
Claudia Ayala is a fighter. She is outspoken, strong-minded, passionate about
community organizing and resilient. She says, “If you don’t like the way the table
is arranged, turn the table over. “ She means it. Most recently, she joined and
revitalized the campaign to restore the 31st Street bus line. The effort had been
foundering for 12 years before her arrival. By the time she was finished, residents
of Little Village had direct bus service to and from work and school. It’s this type
of action that has made her a leader and a powerful advocate for change in
Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods.
Facing the adversity of growing up in a high-risk neighborhood, she didn’t
overcome challenges, she faced them head on. Claudia was told again and again
that she had no future. She refused to become a victim. At 18, she went back to
school. She entered Saint Augustine College as a full-time student, all the while
working long hours at AT&T to support her young family. She said, “I was on
top of the world. I believe that our classrooms are our communities, and we are
always learning, always growing. My education is not just about me, but about
using the knowledge gained to make change. ”
Then she met a former coworker who had abandoned her job to take a low-wage
position in community organizing. When Claudia asked her why, the woman
responded, “Most people work all their lives to afford a house and two cars and
then they die. Me, I want to change people’s lives for the better.” Much to her
surprise, Claudia discovered that she did too. She decided to go to work at
the grassroots level in her community. Again, she received a steady drumbeat
of criticism for dreaming of something better. As usual, she was undaunted.
She took on unfamiliar roles as a media consultant, a public transit organizer
and a campaign coordinator in her efforts to enact change. She succeeded on
every level and dreams of doing far more. Claudia strongly believes that from
great adversity, comes the greatest potential and is determined to prove it so.
MLI reinforced her notion that loyalty is important in every aspect of life.
She is intensely loyal and devoted to her community and intends to keep
working for change, no matter what anyone else says.
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mli > Class of 2014
15
Profile
Profile
Ellie Diaz Bahrmasel
Senior Specialist, External Affairs, Comcast
Eloise (Ellie) Diaz Bahrmasel is a natural politician. Educators and family members
recognized her as such from an early age. Still, she’s never been sure that being called
a “politician” is a good thing. Aside from her obvious good humor and a capacity to
observe and analyze, this humility is her most recognizable asset. She brought it to her
work in the Chicago Mayor’s Office and to her current position as Senior Specialist,
External Affairs for Comcast. It is the core reason she continues to work with her
community on a day-to-day basis. In an extraordinarily busy life she manages to fill
many civic engagement roles including that of elected school official.
Ellie felt the call to duty at an early age, winning election to her 8th grade student
council. Her home life was turbulent. Hard times and a contentious divorce split the
family. Amid a sea of shifting loyalties, she exercised a real talent for resolving disputes
and soothing egos. She was so good at it that no one was surprised when she simply
fell into politics years later.
Ellie’s initial career choice was a foray into the world of high finance. Though it was
lucrative, she still felt unfulfilled. She wanted to give back. During the buildup to the
2011 Chicago mayoral race, she contacted the Rahm Emanuel campaign to volunteer.
Much to her surprise she was offered a paid position and implored to join the staff.
Her true profession came calling. Now she enjoys a career rich with opportunities
to give back to her beloved Chicago.
These days Ellie works with volunteer organizations, coordinating time-sensitive
issues with the mayor’s office and engaging city residents directly in an effort to
assess their needs. “Nothing,” she says, “feels better to me than helping someone
who’s hurting. Chicago is my home. I will never live anywhere else. I’m working to
make it even better.”
Her MLI experience taught her to “dig deeper and to analyze the reality behind the
optics”. Her desire to help and ability to step outside government and understand
life at the ground level makes Eloise Bahrmasel the right kind of “politician”.
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mli > Class of 2014
17
Profile
Profile
Juana Ballesteros
Project Manager, Alivio Medical Center
Juana Ballesteros is passionate about helping those in need. Her work in the health
field has evolved over time from a career in nursing to a multi-layered campaign to
address the effects of racial and economic disparities in health outcomes. She is
engaged on many fronts from education and community organizing at the grassroots
level, to organizational strategic planning and oversight of community-based
participatory research. Despite the complex array of tasks and battles she takes
on, her efforts all come down to a single guiding principle– “Encouragement,”
she says, “is the most important medicine you can give anyone.”
Juana grew up in Little Village, in a traditional neighborhood where she encountered
the usual stereotypes regarding gender roles. Her mother and father were hardworking, conservative and proud. But their outlook was old-fashioned. “It took a
while,” she says, “to understand that I was not expected to pursue higher education.”
She was strong-willed from the beginning. She took that lack of encouragement
personally and turned it into a drive to excel and break down barriers.
Juana put herself through the University of Illinois at Chicago, earning a
Bachelor in Nursing and a Master in Public Health. Along the way she started
a family with the usual trials and triumphs. But she never forgot how it felt to
be disenfranchised and alone in the belief that she could and should succeed.
She made it her personal mission to encourage others. She has incorporated
that belief as the fundamental plank in a highly successful career dedicated to
giving back to her Latino community by correcting racial and ethnic disparities.
Juana continues to reach out to her community, most recently by building an
educational coalition dedicated to empowering young Latinas. She wants them
to know that there are no limits and to encourage them to reach for the stars.
She sought out MLI because she realizes her greatest challenges are still ahead
and she must understand the complex world of politics in order to succeed.
“UNO and MLI have given me the resources I need to take it to the next level,”
she declares. “There’s still so much work to do.”
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mli > Class of 2013
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Profile
Profile
Lucky Camargo
Executive Race Director – Carrera de los Muertos, United Neighborhood Organization
Lacourdaire (Lucky) Camargo feels lucky indeed. As a child raised in a Spanish-speaking
household, Lucky grew up in one of Chicago’s most spirited, ethnic enclaves to become a
bicultural and bilingual Chicagoan. She feels even luckier that she became involved with
UNO and finds her work there meaningful and fulfilling.
As the child of working-class parents, Lucky saw whole generations strive to overcome
challenges inherent to her community - underfunded schools and community services,
diminished employment prospects, and a lack of strategic planning and investment to
ensure a sustainable economic future. Like many around her, she wanted to escape that
place. She did so at her first opportunity, attending Northern Illinois University, then
entering the commercial property title insurance field working her way to become a
successful corporate escrow officer, earning a comfortable living, but unsatisfied.
Then, two things happened that changed her outlook. Lucky overheard a resident of her
former neighborhood talking earnestly about defectors from Little Village. The woman
said, “They run away and they have the nerve to complain about it. Don’t complain.
Come back and help.” Almost simultaneously, Lucky became involved with Carrera
de los Muertos (the Race of the Dead), an UNO-sponsored 5k, while also volunteering
and now serving on the executive board of Chicago Youth Boxing Club (a Little Village
community boxing gym for youth and adults that uses the training methods of boxing
to instill discipline, determination and self-respect). Her path was set.
Lucky sees the untapped economic potential for the community to become the
commercial center of trade for Latino goods and products for the Central United States.
She sees it as a place where people have grit and brawn. “I want to live my life with
meaning and purpose,” she says. “And I want to be part of the decision making that
strengthens and shapes neighborhoods.” These days Lucky is the Executive Race
Director of UNO’s Carrera de los Muertos and community program developer for
the organization. She is grateful to UNO for presenting her with challenges and
opportunities that foster her interests, and to MLI for introducing her to the world
of local politics. “Now,” she says, “I found a purposeful way of connecting to what
matters to me.”
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mli > Class of 2012
21
Profile
Profile
Marcelino Garcia
Director of Community Affairs, Cook County Health & Hospitals Systems
Marcelino Garcia is a man apart. He grew up in Puerto Rico where almost everyone
shared a homogenous culture and an island mentality. From the time he was very
small he was different. He was excited by diversity. He loved trips to the airport.
Foreigners, with their different customs and world views, were endlessly fascinating
to him. He longed to fly away and explore strange new lands.
As an adult, Marcelino made good on his dream of leaving Puerto Rico and
experiencing the wider world. Along the way he earned a law degree from
Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Government from Dartmouth College.
But much to his surprise, he found that no amount of cultural immersion or education
permitted him to really blend in. He was still different. In his adopted home of Chicago,
Puerto Ricans remarked on his island accent. Midwesterners were surprised when he
described himself as an American.
Marcelino felt trapped between cultures. But this feeling proved to be a strength.
It dawned on him that diversity and personal differences, whether ethic or attitudinal
could be useful. He went to work, utilizing his multicultural outlook in various government positions, notably the Office of Trade and Investment for the State of Illinois.
He worked with multinational traders, bridging the gaps to foster economic growth.
Marcelino is now the Director of Community Affairs for Cook County Hospitals where
he interacts on a daily basis with an ethnically diverse population. He is deeply proud
of working with the International Olympic Committee in the effort to bring the 2016
Olympics to Chicago. His international adventures, networks of multinational contacts and
his wealth of cultural knowledge have benefited him in more ways than he can describe.
Marcelino’s MLI experience reinforced his perception that being different is a strength.
He met 34 men and women from a variety of backgrounds and professions who he might
not have encountered otherwise. Each was different but they were all welded together
by a shared passion for leadership, a love of diversity and a desire to better their
communities. Marcelino remains a man apart but he knows he is not alone.
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mli > Class of 2011
23
Profile
Profile
Annet Miranda
Account Executive, PurpleGroup
Annet Miranda lives by a simple creed. Don’t focus so hard on the future that you forget
to enjoy the present. She loves her work. As an Account Executive with the Purple Group,
an award winning strategic marketing communications and advertising firm, she engages
directly with a wide variety of clients. She assesses needs and provides resources to
help businesses prosper. She is passionate about helping her community grow. She
builds relationships that last. These connections have proven useful again and again in
providing resources for the disadvantaged and completing much needed projects that
better her neighborhood. Annet is working hard to build a better future but she’s also
enjoying the journey.
Annet’s family relocated to Chicago from Puerto Rico in her senior year of high school.
At the time she spoke no English and had less than a year to learn English before entering
the University of Illinois at Chicago. She overcame this obstacle and many others, eventually
earning two Masters Degrees in Public Administration and Project Management. She’s
currently competing with her brother in a race to earn a PhD.
As Annet was building a corporate resume in banking she kept reaching back to her
community and helping out where she could. At Fifth Third Bank she formed a community
outreach program and sponsored numerous projects. Prior to this, she worked for the
Chicago Housing Authority as a Project Coordinator, giving her experience in both
government and business outreach models.
Recently, Annet took a year off to reassess and rebuild. She spent that time thinking
about new ways to serve her community. She leapt at the chance to work for Purple Group,
a firm that leveraged cultural expertise in the Hispanic, multicultural, and total markets to
develop strategies for their clients.
Annet became involved with MLI in order to build her network and engage in leadership
opportunities. These days she’s taking it slow and relishing the ride. “MLI taught me that
relationships are the key to everything, but I also learned that enjoying my work is crucial.
If I can combine those things, I can create change and make lifelong friends too.”
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mli > Class of 2010
25
Profile
Profile
Aldo Valencia
Vice President, Employee Benefits Division with GCG Financial
Aldo Valencia is busy. He sits on the executive board of two non-profits and works with fellow
Rotarians to assist underprivileged youth. His day-to-day corporate duties include helming the
demanding position of Vice President of the Employee Benefits Division with GCG Financial.
He spends long days developing financial and benefit strategies while developing personal
relationships with employers and business executives in order to help them navigate the
muddy waters of the Affordable Care Act’s legislation and compliance.
Throughout the years Aldo has spent building a family, a career and managing an ever-growing
workload and responsibilities, one unvarying fact has remained consistent. “Relationships,”
he says, “are everything. It’s inescapable. You can’t do anything for your community, your
employer or your family without building relationships, or benefiting from the networks that
others have already established.” At his core, Aldo Valencia believes in the power of relationships.
He’s using them every day to alter the world around him and create positive change.
Aldo was the product of a mixed Guatemalan, Mexican and Texan family that set up house
in Chicago. Naturally, he emerged from this cross-cultural upbringing with bilingual abilities.
He also inherited a keen understanding of how diversity and inequality affect human beings.
He’s put that knowledge to work in his personal and professional life. It has been most useful
in his efforts to mentor disadvantaged youth and reach out to the homeless and veterans.
Aldo is the acting treasurer for the Executive Board of two non-profits, the Illinois Balanced
and Restorative Justice Project (IBARJ), and Southwest Chicago PADS (Public Action to
Deliver Shelter), but IBARJ holds a special place in his heart. It affords him the ability to
directly interact with and help children understand how a poor decision impacts their victim,
family and community.
Aldo’s continuing work with MLI has reinforced his opinions regarding the value of relationships.
But it also opened his eyes to the deficit of information within the Latino community regarding
available opportunities for those who need it the most. He’s determined to effectuate change
through compassion, networks and building personal relationships.
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mli > Class of 2014
29
Directory
Directory
Anabel Abarca
R o s a A lvara d o
C arl o s P. A parici o
M art i n A rt eaga
Chief of Staff
Counselor
Legislative Affairs, House Liaison
Partner
Alderman George Cardenas,
12th Ward
Samuel Merritt University
Illinois Department of Healthcare
and Family Services
Chicagoland Construction and
Property Services, Inc.
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2003
E z e q u iel A g o s t o
M a n u el A lvare z
Dav i d A re n a s
J o s el u i s Aval o s
Technical Services Manager
Partner-Insurance Producer
Managing Director
Program Development Coordinator
Northland Laboratories
The Alvarez Group
Reilly Partners
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2006
Chicago Department of Public Health Office of Violence Prevention
MLI Class of 2009
R e y m u n d o A g u ay o
J o a q u i n A ma d o r
Jav ier A rri o la - L o pe z
S t e v e n Aval o s Agent
Partner
Principal
Attorney at Law
Reymundo Aguayo Agency
KZ Management Advisors
Rachel Carson Elementary School
Del Galdo Law Group, LLC
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2004
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2011
F i d el A g u ilar
P e d r o A n aya
A le x A rr o y o
C la u d ia Ayala
Special Agent
Assistant Manager
Chairman
Campaign and Campus Coordinator
State of Illinois
Superior Towing
Aurora Democratic Party
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2007
Little Village Environmental
Justice Organization
MLI Class of 2014
M ar k A g u ilera
Jaime M . A n d ra d e , Jr .
Bla n ca R . A rt eaga
Kari n a Ayala - Berme j o
Vice President
State Representative - 40th District
Project Manager
First Deputy Commissioner
Northern Trust
State of Illinois
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2013
State of Illinois Capital Development Board
City of Chicago
Department of Human Resources
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2006
C h ri s t o p h er M . A le j a n d r o
Na n c y A n d ra d e
G u illermi n a A rt eaga
M . M erce d e s Ba d ia - Tava s
Director of Technology
President
Teacher
Of Counsel
Hot Chalk Education Services, Inc.
Mexifeast Foods, Inc.
School District 104
Barnes & Thornburg, LLP
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2003
Dia n a A lma n z a
Da n iel A n ell o
M aria G . A rt eaga
O s car Bae z a
Instructor
Chief of Strategy
Home Mortgage Consultant
Chief Financial Officer
Northeastern Illinois University
and College of Lake County
Chicago International Charter School
PNC Mortgage
Midwest REM Enterprises, Inc.
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2003
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31
Directory
Directory
M eli s s a M . Ballat e
A le j a n d r o C affarelli
Vi n ce C a s illa s
A le j a n d r o C a s t r o
President
Partner
President and CEO
General Manager
Blue Daring Consulting, Inc.
Caffarelli & Siegel, Ltd.
Casillas Strategy Group
La Guadalupana
MLI Class of 2004
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2010
J u a n a Balle s t er o s
J u a n F. C ala h o rra n o
Hec t o r C a s ta ñ e d a
C la u d ia E li z a b e t h C a s t r o
Project Manager
President
Owner
General Counsel
Alivio Medical Center
JLC & Associates
Open Path Realty
Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA)
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2004
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2013
C e s ar Barra z a
A lfre d o C amare n a
I re n e C a s ta ñ e d a
P erla C a s t r o
Financial Analyst
Project Administrator
Director, Workforce Partnerships
Program Manager
Conor Commercial Real Estate
City of Chicago Department of
Business Affairs and Consumer Protection
Harold Washington College
Quinnox, Inc.
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2009
Rossana Barrera-Saavedra
Bia n ca C amare n a
M ar k C a s t ella n o s
E mma C ava z o s Director of Clinical Operations
& Community Relations
Operations Manager
VP of Engineering
President
Peoples Gas
M.E.A., Inc. USA
American Family Insurance
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2011
Rodolfo Benitez
L u c k y C amarg o
A l b ert o C a s t ill o
F ermi n C a z are s
President
Executive Race Director,
Carrera de los Muertos 5K Race
Owner/Software Architect
Operations Manager
Codigo Systems
Group O
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2013
Health Management Services
MLI Class of 2010
Toltex Construction
MLI Class of 2014
United Neighborhood Organization
MLI Class of 2012
32
M a n u el Bla n c o
M ig u el A n gel C a ñ o n Ver o n ica C a s t ill o
E ric k C er d a
Licensed Banker
Founder
Project Architect
President
Fifth Third Bank
archiMAC
Hirsch Associates LLC
Platinum Rate, Inc.
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2004
I s aac B o rrer o
L o ry C ar b a j al Va n Ne s s
A la n C a s t r o
P e d r o C er va n t e s
Director of Strategic Development
Strategy Consultant
Senior Mortgage Consultant
Managing Partner
Lightspeed Systems
Accenture
Wintrust Mortgage
Tristan & Cervantes
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2006
33
Directory
Directory
G a b riel C h av e z
Jose Cruz
E d i t h De L a C r u z
Je n n y d ’ E s c o t o DCS Program Manager
President
President
Furniture Sales Executive
Exelon Nuclear
Cruz & Associates
Antigua Construction
Business Interiors by Staples
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2008
C arl o s C la u d i o
Luis Cruz
J o s ep h De L a G ar z a
M ig u el d ’ E s c o t o Administrative Law Judge
Founder/President
Director, Center for Urban Business
Project Manager
Illinois Department of
Employment Security
Good Group LLC
College of Business Administration
University of Illinois at Chicago
d’Escoto, Inc.
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2012
A d am C o r o n a
J o h n M . D á v ila
M aria d e l o s A n gele s C o r R al
E l o i s e Dia z Ba h rma s el
Political Campaign Organizer
Investment Advisor Representative
Director,
Marketing and Communications
Senior Specialist, External Affairs
MLI Class of 2011
Independence Powered by
LPL Financial
American Red Cross of Greater Chicago
Comcast
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2007
A n t o n i o C o rral
P e d r o DeJe s ú s , Jr .
R o z a n Dei n
L u i s Dia z - P ere z Partner
Executive Vice President, General
Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Program Director
Manager, External Affairs
ComEd/Exelon
Tampico Beverages, Inc.
St. Mary Church/Heart of Mary
Outreach Ministry
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2003
E ira L . C o rral
R o d o lf o De Je s ú s
S o n ia Del R eal
Elected Village Clerk
English Language Instructor
Associate Broker
Village of Hanover Park
Earth Village and Reach Language Schools
Grinker & Garcia Real Estate
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2008
Law Offices of Corral,
Kearney & Cho, LLP
MLI Class of 2012
M ic h ael S . D í a z
Deputy General Counsel
Illinois Department of Financial and
Professional Regulation - Bureau of Banks
and Trust Companies
MLI Class of 2006
N o el C o rral
A raceli De L a C r u z
A d ria n Delga d o
M ó n ica D í a z Terra z a s
Senior Energy Engineer
Chief Safety and Security
Officer/Senior Vice President
Chief Financial Officer
Quality Coordinator
Delgado Erectors, Inc.
UIC Hospital and Health
Sciences System
ComEd
MLI Class of 2014
Chicago Transit Authority
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2012
A rt C ri s t i n o
Dai s y De L a C r u z
E d gar Delga d o
R o ci o Dia z Capital Budget Analyst
Co-Founder, EVP of Latino Markets
Contracting Officer
Chicago Housing Authority
De La Croix Media Group
General Services Administration
Manager II, Training and
Organizational Development
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2013
Chicago Transit Authority
MLI Class of 2008
34
35
Directory
Directory
Ja n e t D o mi n g u e z
E r n e s t E s pi n o z a
A n d re w F o x
Deme t ri o G arcia
Director – Public Relations
Assistant Director of Field Service
Manager, Board of Review
President & CEO
PACO, Cross-Cultural Marketing
Chicago Area Council, BSA
Caravelle Enterprises
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2012
Illinois Department
of Employment Security
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2010
G a b riel I g n aci o D z ie k ie w ic z
A raceli E s q u i v el
Olga F ra n ce s c h i n i
G raciela G arcia
Director of Marketing and
Senior Project Designer Senior Manager
President
Director, Workforce Development
Health Care Service Corporation
Saldemar Solutions LLC
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2008
Southeast Chicago
Development Commission
DesignBridge, Ltd
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2007
K h ale d J . E l k h at i b
Je s s e E s t ra d a
Attorney
Interim Chief Executive Officer
United Neighborhood Organization
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2007
J o s e L u z F ra u s t o
Associate Director,
Office of Diversity Affairs
The University of Chicago
Booth School of Business
MLI Class of 2007
Financial Counselor/
Community Outreach
The Resurrection Project
MLI Class of 2010
G o n z al o E s c o b ar
Hec t o r Fa b rega s
E mig d i o G am b o a
J o e G arcia
Real Estate Entrepeneur
Director of Sales
Vice President of Marketing
and Communications
Chief of Staff
Univision Radio
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2008
Chicago Fire
11th Senate District - IL State Senator Martin Sandoval
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2012
M aya E s c o b ar
F re d d y F l o re s
A mpar o G arcia
J o rge G arcia
Creative Director &
Director of Engagement
Territory Manager
Consultant
Managing Partner
New Futuro
Otis Elevator Company
Gate 3, LLC
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2013
Vic t o r Dav i d E s c o b ar
M a n u el F l o re s
a n gel G arcia
M arceli n o G arcia
Real Estate Broker
Director of the Division of Banking
President
Chicago Realty Partners, LTD
Illinois Dept. of Financial
and Professional Regulation
Chicago Young Republicans
Partner
Overseas Strategies, LLC
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2004
36
I n gri d G arcia
MLI Class of 2007
Director of Community Affairs
Cook County Health & Hospitals Systems
Nil d a E s par z a
M ar k F l o re s
Da n iela G arcia
MLI Class of 2011
M ay ra G arc í a G u z m á n
Director of Youth
Account Director
Analyst
Principal
Latinos Progresando
Olson
Cook County Board of Review
MGG Consulting
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2009
37
Directory
Directory
Omay ra G arcia
R ay G i d er o f
G a b riel G o n z ale z A n gel G u t ierre z
Government & Community
Relations Leader
Deputy Director of Construction
Intermodal Transportation Manager
Public Building Commission
Richard Daniels Transportation Co.
Vice President, Community
Development and Outreach Services
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2008
Peoples Gas
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2012
J o h n G arri d o
Jose Giusti
J u a n I g n aci o G o n z ale z
C h ri s t ia n G u t ierre z
Lieutenant and Law Firm Partner
Sales
Patrolman
President
Chicago Police Department and
Northwest Legal Services, LLP
Univision Radio
Chicago Police Department
C.G.S. & Associates, Inc.
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2011
C e s ar G ar z a
C h ri s t i n a G o me z L a u ra G o n z ale z - M u ma
L u i s M . G u t ierre z
Regional Coordinator
Associate Professor
Attorney at Law
District Chicago Commander
City of Chicago, Department of
Family and Support Services
Northeastern Illinois University
MLI Class of 2011
Illinois State Police
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2010
E d u ar d o G ar z a
E r n e s t G o me z
M aria G u erra L apace k
Associate Vice Chancellor
of Student Affairs
CFE, CIA, CIDA, MBA, MPA
Commissioner of the Department of Business
Affairs and Consumer Protection
MLI Class of 2010
City Colleges of Chicago
MLI Class of 2005
38
Catholic Charities of the
Archdiocese of Chicago
MLI Class of 2005
Office of the Mayor, City of Chicago
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2007
C ecilia G u z ma n
Licensed Clinical &
Professional Counselor
Foresight Ahora, Clinical and
Consulting Services
MLI Class of 2007
J u a n G ay ta n , Jr .
C arme n G o n z ale z
A n gela G u errer o
Ly s s e t t e G u z ma n Vale n t i n
President
Real Estate Broker
Teacher
High School Teacher
Monterrey Security
NuVision Realty
Chicago Public Schools
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2007
Cicero Public Schools,
District 99
S t ella G ay ta n
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2011
C e s ar G o n z ale z
M arc o s G u errer o Va n e s s a Hall
Executive Vice President
Vice President - Division Manager
Monterrey Security
Northern Trust
Multimedia Technical
Support Specialist
Senior Manager,
US Corporate Communications
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2013
Motorola
BMO Financial Group
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2007
S t e v e n G ay ta n
F eli x M a n u el G o n z ale z
A d ria n G u t ierre z
Heat h er Hat h a w a y M ira n d a
Vice President of Operations
Attorney
Commercial Portfolio Manager
Monterrey Security
Archer Law Group
BMO Harris Bank
PhD Student, Educational
Policy Studies
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2009
University of Illinois at Chicago
MLI Class of 2009
39
Directory
Directory
Tim o t h y Haw k i n s
Darrell Hig u er o s M arl o I ri z arry
Jav ier J u g o
Police Officer
President and CEO
Vice President/Owner
Chicago Police Dept
Next Generation, Inc.
Safety Net Works
Program Coordinator
Alliance of Local Service Organizations
(ALSO) Local Roots, National Reach
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2012
Citywide Security Group
MLI Class of 2005
C arme n Here d ia - L o pe z
I v e t t e H o lle n d o n er
Investment Analyst
Sales Agent
Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund
RE/MAX Exclusive Properties
MLI Class of 2004
MLI Class of 2006
j ame s I s aac s
Director, Office of Development
Management and Acting Director
of Capital Construction
Chicago Housing Authority
Steven Jugo
President
Citywide Security Group
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2014
A d o lf o Her n a n d e z
R ic h ar d H o w ell
Deputy Director of the Mayor’s
Office of Public Engagement
Coordinator of Special Projects
E mma n u el Ki n ar d Executive Director
Vice President,
Retail Lending
Illinois Legislative Black
Caucus Foundation
TCF National Bank
City of Chicago
City of Chicago
Department of Buildings
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2005
A rt u r o Her n a n d e z
M arc o A . H u erta
Energy Efficiency Engineer
Logistics
ComEd
PepsiCo
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2004
Hec t o r M . Her n a n d e z
R ay m o n d A . H u erta s
Technical Sales Associate California
Managing Broker/
Principle and Owner
CETCO-Building Materials
Skyline Leasing Sales & Management
Association House of Chicago
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2012
R e n e Her n a n d e z Jr .
Abe Tomás Hughes, II
Sales Representative
Vice President, Acquisitions
Associated Research
Fiat Group/CNH AmericasU.S., Canada and Latin America
Schiff Hardin, LLP
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2012
R afael Herrera
Z u lima H u rta d o , M . D .
R egi n al d J o n e s
J o va n n a L e v y
Operations Manager
Medical Director,
Behavioral Health Services
Renal Account Executive
Hispanic Marketing
Advertising Manager
MLI Class of 2009
d’Escoto, Inc.
MLI Class of 2011
40
M a z e Jac k s o n
Lake County Health Department
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2013
M aria Jime n e z
MLI Class of 2012
Ashvin Lad
Police Officer
Director, Invest in Illinois
and The Illinois Funds
Chicago Police Department
Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2012
Ye n i Jime n e z
Child Welfare Program Supervisor
A l b erta L . J o h n s o n National Diversity Manager
Baxter Health Care
MLI Class of 2013
F ra n ci s c o L a s s i o Director of City Services
City of Chicago, 25th Ward
MLI Class of 2014
L a u ra L e b r o n - F l o re s
Accounting Consultant
Kolos Path, LLC
MLI Class of 2011
Illinois Department of
Revenue-Lottery
MLI Class of 2003
41
Directory
Directory
Ver o n ica L o e w y
M ia L o pe z
Da n iel M ari n e z
C arl o s M e d i n a , Jr
Workforce Relations
Consultant
Director of Operations
District Sales Coordinator
CEO/President
Legacy Charter School
AFLAC
Medina Lawncare
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2013
BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois
MLI Class of 2010
A b a d L o pe z
C e s ar A . L o s ta u n a u
Attorney at Law
IT Project Manager
Seyfarth Shaw
Allstate Technology
and Operations
MLI Class of 2004
MLI Class of 2009
A í d a A . M art í n e z
Coordinator of Minority
Recruitment and Retention
Services
Governors State University,
Office of Admissions
Ja n ice M e j ia
Project Manager,
Adult Education
City Colleges of Chicago
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2004
C h ri s t i n e M . L ó pe z
R icar d o L u g o
A n t o n i o M art i n e z , Jr .
J o s e M ele n d e z
Executive Director of Community
Relations and Stewardship
Chief Investigator
Director of Development
President
Cook County Clerk of Court
The Chicago Community Trust
Melendez Insurance Group
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2006
Dia n a E . L o pe z
C y n t h ia L u n a
B o n n y M art i n e z
Lizveth L. Méndez
President/Owner
Partner
Community Manager
Lopez Law Group, P.C.
LF Leadership
Reister Advertising
Community Outreach
Liaison-Latino Affairs
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2009
Rosalind Franklin University
of Medicine and Science
MLI Class of 2011
Office of Illinois Attorney General
Lisa Madigan
MLI Class of 2004
Fa u s t o L o pe z Da n iel M al d o n a d o
He n ry M art í n e z
C h ri s t o p h er M e n d o z a
Consultant
Equipment Operator –Laborer
Field Engineer
Project Manager
American Institute for Research
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
CivCon Services, Inc.
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2010
City of Chicago Department
of Family and Support Services
J u a n L o pe z , Jr .
Sa n d ra M al d o n a d o , L UT C F Je n n ifer M art i n e z
M argari ta M e n d o z A
Investment Officer Emerging Managers
Agency Owner
Senior External Affairs Specialist Assistant Warden
Sandra Maldonado Agency, Inc.
FEMA Region 5
Illinois Department of Corrections
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2007
M aria E s t h er L o pe z
R o b ert M ari n
Sa n t iag o M art i n e z
Steven Meneses
Director of External Affairs
and Leadership Programs
Field Director/Financial Advisor
President,
Commercial Banking Division
Vice President, Emerging Markets
Teachers’ Retirement System
of the State of Illinois
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2008
42
El Valor
Northwestern Mutual
Financial Network
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2007
Gold Coast Bank
MLI Class of 2003
Fifth Third Bank
MLI Class of 2012
43
Directory
Directory
A m b ar M e n t o r - Tr u ppa
De n n i s M o n d er o
A n gel M o rale s
A d ria n a M o re n o Ne v á re z
Vice President
Executive Director
Broker/Owner
Chief of Staff
Grisko
Chinese Mutual Aid Association
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2011
The Agency Real Estate
Brokerage
Cook County Commissioner,
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, 7th District
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2005
M art i n M erca d o R o b ert o M o n ta ñ o Dav i d M o rale s
Ye s ce n ia M o ta
Senior Manager
JD Candidate
Financial Advisor
Office of Emergency
Management & Communication
DePaul University
Merrill Lynch
Special Events
Coordinator
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2013
C arme n z a M illa n
A d ria n a M o n t e s d e Oca
Hec t o r M o rale s
A le j a n d ra M o ya
Associate State Director,
Community Outreach
Manager
Attorney and Counselor at Law
Broker-Owner
Los Delfines Restaurant
Law Offices of Hector Morales, P.C.
Properties InDeed
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2007
A n n e t M ira n d a
L u i s M o n t g o mery
M arily n M o rale s
M ar k R . Nag o d e
Account Executive
President
Operations Manager
Director of Facilities
PurpleGroup
2IM Group, LLC
Chicago Park District
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2008
Chicago International
Charter School
A n t o n i o M ira n d a
Ze k e M o n t e s Sa n d ra M o rale s - M ir q u e
M ic h ael Nar d ell o
Counselor/Supervisor
It is with regret that we
announce the passing of
our colleague Zeke Montes,
President of Tele Guia, Inc.
Research Associate
Director of Finance
UIC - Center for Urban
Economic Development
Family & Support Services
City of Chicago
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2004
MLI Class of 2013
H u g o Dav i d M ira n d a
E v e t t e M o ra
J o e M o re n o I I I
Natalie Neri s - G u ereca
Co-Founder
SpeechLanguage Pathologist
Alderman - 1st Ward
Instructional Support
Leader
MLI Class of 2012
AARP
MLI Class of 2004
St. Rita High School
MLI Class of 2012
Miranda, Inc.
MLI Class of 2009
44
Chicago Public Schools
MLI Class of 2013
City of Chicago
MLI Class of 2005
City of Chicago
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2014
Chicago Public Schools
MLI Class of 2013
R a u l E . M o li n a
J u a n M o ra d o , Jr
M ari o E . M o re n o
Silv eri o N o d al
Director of Community Programs
Assistant General Counsel
CEO
Broker
City of Chicago
Department of Housing
Office of Governor
Patrick Quinn
MORZEP Consulting
Self Superior Real Estate
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2014
45
Directory
Directory
Xav ier N o g u era s
Dr . M aria Or o pe z a F u j im o t o
Y o la n d a P e ñ a - C a s illa s
Vi v ia n T. P o rt ill o
President
Lecturer
Director of Partnership Development
BOCA Ad Agency
Educational Leadership and Doctoral Program
California State University, Fullerton
Senior Projects
Control Manager
MLI Class of 2008
d’Escoto, Inc.
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2011
Be n N o v e n
Pa b l o Ort ega
C arla G a b riela P eralta - Biga
J u li o P u e n t e s
Director of Financial
Education
Manager, Operations
Lead, Standard Care Department
Regional Director - Illinois/Midwest
Illinois State Treasurer
Chicago Public Schools – Office of
Principal Preparation and Development
Apple Retail
US Dept of Agriculture-HispanicServing Institutions National Program
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2003
Jav ier A . N u n e z
R o s a Y. Ort i z
Fa b ia n P ere z
C la u d ia Q u e z a d a
Senior Vice President,
Personal Financial Services
Program Officer
President
Director, School Supports
Enterprise Community Partners Strategic Vision, Inc.
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2011
Chicago Public Schools Innovation and Incubation
Northern Trust
MLI Class of 2004
MLI Class of 2005
E d war d Oli v ieri
Partner
Godoy Olivieri, LTD
MLI Class of 2010
P e t er O u s le y
Project Executive
Lend Lease
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2007
G a b riela P ere z
M ari b el Q u e z a d a
Director of Operations
Communications Manager
United Neighborhood Organization
(UNO)
KPMG, LLP
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2004
Belia Ort ega
L a u re n Pac h ec o J o rge J . P ere z
A lfre d Q u i j a n o
Manager, Communications
Investor and Media Relations
President and Co-Founder
Executive Director
Compliance Manager
Chicago Urban Art Society (CUAS)
Hispanic American Construction
Industry Association (HACIA)
United Neighborhood Organization
(UNO)
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2007
DeVry Education Group
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2008
E d Ort ega
A rt P e d ra z a
A ar o n P i n e d a
R ic h ar d Q u i j a n o
Parole Supervisor
Vice President
Vice President of Operations
Technical Project Manager
State of Illinois Department of
Corrections/Adult Parole Division
Willis of Illinois, Inc.
DEQ Financial Group, Inc.
AT&T
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2006
G ema Ort ega , P h . D .
Salva d o r P e d r o z a
Je n n ifer P o llac k
Susana Quiñones
Faculty, Department of English
and Foreign Languages
Chairman
Sr. Marketing Director - USA
Administrative Assistant
Little Village
Chamber of Commerce
Tampico Beverages
Saint Xavier University
Blue Cross Blue Shield,
Government Programs
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2003
46
Monterrey Security
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2011
47
Directory
Directory
Na n c y Q u i n ta n a
R a u l re y e s
Latasha D. Roby
M o n ica R u b i o Elementary Area Management
Support Director
Staff Assistant
Assistant Director of
Career Services
Partner
Westwood College
Morgan Construction and
Development Company
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2008
Ruben Reyna
C la u d ia P. R o d rig u e z A le j a n d ra R u e d a
Regional Controller
Account Executive
Executive Officer
Opportunity International
Resolute Consulting
Alex Rueda Marketing
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2014
L i z b e t h R amire z
R afael R i va d e n eira
J u a n i ta B . R o d r í g u e z A licia R u i z
Program Specialist
President
General Counsel
Real Estate Specialist
Office of the Speaker,
Michael J. Madigan
Epiphany Portfolios
Blue Northern Energy, LLC; and
Partner of Velázquez Rodríguez, LLC
Ruiz & Associates, RE/MAX Partners
Office of Elementary Areas
and Schools, The Chicago
Public Schools
MLI Class of 2003
J u a n R . R amire z
Relationship Manager
Special Accounts
BMO Harris Bank
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2011
J u lia re n d o n
MLI Class of 2007
City of Chicago
Office of the City Clerk
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2008
C arme n C . R i v era
M arcela R o d rig u e z
Orla n d o Sae z
Assistant to Publisher
Director of Finance and Operations
Chief Operating Officer
Chicago Magazine
Brighton Park
Neighborhood Council
CityScan, Inc.
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2009
R o b ert o R e q u e j o
E n n e d y R i v era
M ilt o n R o d rig u e z
E lv ia Sala z ar
Housing Associate
Attorney
Wysocki & Smith
Director of Individual
and Corporate Giving Brinks, Gilson & Lione
Metropolitan Planning Council
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2010
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2008
L e t icia R e y e s - Na s h
R e y R i v era
R ic h ar d L . R o d rig u e z
Chief of Health Policy
President
Illinois Department
of Public Health
CSI 3000
Vice President - Director of Business
Development/Project Management
and Construction
MLI Class of 2012
Lend Lease
MLI Class of 2011
President
BIBA
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2005
Noe G. Reyes
M ari b el R i v era
Eddy Rojas
J u a n Sal d a n a I I I
Management Analyst
Instructional Support Leader,
Austin - North Lawndale Network
Human Resources Director
Managing Principal
Senior Flexonics
Lead Rock Global Equity
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2004
Cook County Health
and Hospitals System
MLI Class of 2009
48
J o s Sal d a n a
Chicago Public Schools
MLI Class of 2004
49
Directory
Directory
E d u ar d o J u a n Salga d o
M art i n Sa n d o val
E rica Serra n o Nata s h a S o li s
Owner
Managing Partner
Marketing Director
Vice President
Built Rite Construction, LLC
Compass Associates, LLC
Leo Starr Corporation
Professional Trader Group
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2006
M ari b el Salga d o - L i t t le
Be n n e t t Sa n ta n a
R o s a M aria Silva
A le j a n d r o S o l o ri o
Broker
President
Assistant Public Defender
Marketing Director
Realty Executives - Elite
Business Systems of America, Inc.
d.b.a. Viva Healthcare Staffing
Cook County Public Defender
Elemento L2
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2010
Wilfre d o Sa n t iag o
M ic h ele S k ry d
C la u d e t t e M arie S o t o Senior Pastor
Independent Energy
Consultant
Project Manager
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2008
Rebaño Compañerismo Cristiano
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2011
J o s e F ra n ci s c o Sa n c h e z
C e s ar Sa n t o y
M airim Smi t h
M aricela S o t o President
Principal
Project Manager
Third Dimension Design
& Construction, LLC
Studio ARQ; and Alderman,
City of Berwyn
JLL
Clinical Director/
Director of Training
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2004
R am o n Sa n c h e z
F e d eric o Sciammarella
M ar v i n L . Smi t h
P e d r o S o t o , Jr .
Community Engagement
Coordinator
Assistant Professor
Government and Public
Affairs Manager
Deputy Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs
U.S. Cellular
Chicago Public Schools
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2011
Access Community Health Network
MLI Class of 2003
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d’Escoto, Inc.
Northern Illinois University
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2011
Hartgrove Hospital
MLI Class of 2008
Vice n t e Sa n c h e z , Jr .
R o b ert o Sep u lv e d a
M at t h e w Smi t h
A d ria n a Spa d a
Chief of Staff, 25th Ward
Manager of Diversity & Inclusion
Athletic Director
City of Chicago
Sara Lee Corporation
UNO Charter School Network
Emergency Management
Coordinator
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2006
L o u i s ( L o u ) Sa n d o val
A n a Serafi n
I v e t t e S o li s
C h ri s t i n e S tar k s C amp o s
Partner
Communications Manager
Production Engineer
Senior Catering Sales Manager
Karma Yacht Sales, LLC
Goose Island Beer Company
Disney ABC
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2009
Harry Caray’s Italian
Steakhouse - Chicago
City of Chicago
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2012
51
Directory
Directory
M art h a A . Valeri o
Ver o n ica L . Vera
Educational Community
Outreach Consultant
Political & Media
Consultant/Strategist
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2012
H o mer o Tri s ta n
Dia n a Varga s
A n geli n a Villa n u e va
Attorney at Law
Sales Engineer
Graphic Arts Director
Tristan & Cervantes
Automated Logic Corporation
National Museum of Mexican Art
MLI Class of 2004
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2006
h o raci o Tri s taN
E frai n Vega
I s a b el Villega s
Attorney at Law
Associate Marketing Manager
Law Office of Efrain Vega, PC
MillerCoors
MLI Class of 2007
MLI Class of 2013
MLI Class of 2003
A le j o T o rre s
M ari o E . U t rera s
J o el Vega
Jaime Vi t eri
Senior Outreach Program Manager
Principal/Founder
Associate Mechanical Engineer
Founder and CEO
Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Utreras Law Offices, LLC
Chicago Latino Network
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2006
Metropolitan Water
Reclamation District
Dia n a T o rre s
A L DO Vale n cia
R e y Vega
Vi n ce n t D . Waller
Latino Outreach
Vice President
Special Assistant for Legal
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for
Planning (CMAP)
GCG Financial
President/Independent
Financial Advisor
Pa u l S t ri n ger
G erar d o Tri s ta n
Vice President
Assistant State’s Attorney
Aspen Marketing Services,
A Division of Epsilon
Cook County State’s
Attorney’s Office
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2005
Silva n a Ta b are s
State Representative,
21st District
State of Illinois
MLI Class of 2010
L u i s Telle z Assistant Principal
Chicago Public Schools Gage Park High School
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2010
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2014
MLI Class of 2003
Educate Financial Services
Cook County Department
of Environmental Control
MLI Class of 2011
MLI Class of 2011
E lv ia Y. T o rre s
A n d rea Vale n cia
M ic h elle J . Vela s q u e z J o n at h a n N . Will
Business Consultant
Assistant to Mayor
of Chicago
U.S. Customs and
Border Protection Officer
OB/GYN Vaccine Specialist
City of Chicago
United States Department
of Homeland Security
Day-Care Home Providers
and Small Businesses
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United States Department
of Homeland Security
Merck & Company
MLI Class of 2004
MLI Class of 2005
MLI Class of 2013
Da n iel A . Tre v i n o
Jaime Valeri o
C ri s t i n a Vera
P e d r o J u a n Wi n d s o r , Jr . , E s q .
Attorney at Law
Software Developer, IT Loyalty
President
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
United Airlines
Vera & Associates
Senior Advisor and Deputy
Diversity Officer
MLI Class of 2003
MLI Class of 2008
MLI Class of 2009
MLI Class of 2012
The American Bar Association
MLI Class of 2009
53
Directory
R o s a Zam o ra
M ig u el Z u n o , J R .
Independent Consultant
Managing Partner
Latinos for Impact
Zuno Photographic, Inc
MLI Class of 2012
MLI Class of 2011
A l o n s o Zarag o z a
Za n d ra Z u n o
Reference Librarian
Senior Vice President
Cicero Public Library
GolinHarris
MLI Class of 2006
MLI Class of 2010
C la u d ia Z u n o R amire z
Partner
Zuno Photographic Inc.
> History of UNO
The United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) is metropolitan Chicago’s most
recognized Hispanic community-based organization. Established in 1984 to
engage local Hispanics in American opportunity, UNO has carried its mission
into an array of major campaigns and initiatives: During the 1980’s UNO mobilized
thousands in support of Chicago’s school reform movement and local School
Councils; throughout the 1990’s UNO’s naturalization drive assisted over
65,000 individuals to become American citizens; and in 2004 UNO created
the successful UNO Charter School Network to provide quality public education
in urban settings.
MLI Directory Photos: Zuno Photographic Inc.
MLI Profile photos: Sokol Buza
MLI Class of 2009
> UNO’s Vision of the Hispanic Community
UNO believes that Chicagoland’s Hispanic community is similar to its Irish,
German, and Polish counterparts, among others. As with these immigrant groups,
Hispanics have come to the United States to benefit from American opportunity,
working hard to create better lives for their families. Representing a historic wave
of immigration to the United States, Hispanics are the newest incarnation of the
American tradition.
Metropolitan Leadership Institute
c/o United Neighborhood Organization
954 W. Washington Blvd.,
3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60607
Tel: 312 432-6301
Fax: 312 432-0077
www.mlichicago.com
www.uno-online.org
54
Like the paths of our predecessors, Hispanic immigration also carries a set of
serious challenges that will test our community’s ability to prosper in the United
States. The nation’s largest drop-out rate, gang violence, and teenage pregnancy,
among other problems, have for decades created a rift between Hispanic potential
and accomplishment. Even so, practical solutions to these problems are rarely put
forth. Rather, pragmatism plays second to politically-expedient and media-driven
agendas that benefit by portraying Hispanics as a victimized community in need
of social justice.
UNO believes that this depiction is hugely inaccurate. A community driven not by
self-doubt but opportunity and ambition, Hispanics must be challenged to take
full advantage of American possibilities through deep investments in family health,
education, and civic involvement. Since its inception, UNO has seen Hispanics
rise to the occasion when faced with this challenge on an individual level. What
remains for Hispanics is to build this same success on a wide scale, as a vital
American community.
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