Adela Cepeda Honored at the Casa Central 19th Annual Awards Dinner

Chicago, Illinois – Adela Cepeda, Managing Director of Public Financial Management, Inc., was honored with the Casa Central Pastora San Juan Cafferty Legacy Award. The award is presented to an individual who has distinguished themselves through extraordinary achievements in scholarship, business, civic engagement and other activities, which create positive social impact in Chicago and beyond.

Ms. Cepeda was presented with her award at the Casa Central 19^th Annual Awards Dinner held at the Hilton Chicago on October 11, 2018. The annual event is hosted to honor individuals and organizations for their commitment to supporting the Casa Central mission and the families and communities it serves across the Chicago Metropolitan area. This year the event was attended by over 300 business, community and civic leaders.

“We are pleased to have honored Adela Cepeda, a distinguished leader, a generous philanthropist, a successful business person and a bold advocate whose words and deeds ensure her community and those around her are also successful,” said Martin R. Castro, Interim President and CEO of Casa Central.

Ms. Cepeda is a financial expert who graduated with a degree in economics from Harvard University and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. In 1995, she founded and led A.C. Advisory, Inc., a nationally ranked firm that provided advice to governments and corporations for over 20 years.  Currently she is the Managing Director of Public Financial Management, Inc., the largest municipal financial advisor in the United States. Ms. Cepeda is member of the Board of Directors for BMO FinancialCorp, UBS, Mercer and CGCM mutual funds. She also serves on the boards of Arrupe College, Chicago Foundation for Women and Nuestro Futuro, a fund at the Chicago Community Trust she co-founded to help support organizations and initiatives that improve the quality of life of Latinos in metropolitan Chicago.

 “I am deeply honored to receive this award and humbled to join the company of past recipients I have long admired and respected,” said Adela Cepeda, Managing Director of Public Financial Management, Inc. “Thank you to Casa Central for this honor and for all the work they do to help transform lives and strengthen communities.”

Casa Central also honored the following individuals and organizations at its Awards Dinner:

• Trini and Samantha Hernandez, Volunteers of the Year Award. This father, daughter team has been volunteering at Casa Central’s La Posada Interim Housing program for over 25 years.

• BMO Harris Bank, Corporate Partner of the Year. For the last 20 years BMO Harris Bank has been providing Casa Central with financial support, in-kind donations, board service and volunteer hours.

• Francis W. Parker School, Community Builder Award. Francis W. Parker School teachers and students have been volunteering for over a decade at Casa Central as a way of teaching students the importance of volunteering to help build stronger communities.

“We are extremely proud of all our honorees for their commitment to Casa Central and for exemplifying what it means to be a part of a community,” said Dr. Rosita Lopez, Casa Central Board President. “Whether you are a large banking institution like BMO Harris Bank, a neighborhood school like Francis W. Parker, or individuals like Trini and Samantha [Hernandez], we can all make a difference and improve the lives of those around us.”

To learn more about Casa Central and its mission, visit CasaCentral.org or follow them on all social media platforms using @CasaCentral.

19^th Annual Awards Dinner Sponsors include: ComEd, BMO Harris Bank, People’s Gas, ABC7, Telemundo Chicago, Hoy, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Humana, Rush Hospital, Jewel Osco, Mutual of America, Mars Wrigley, North Park University, HBK Engineering, Parker, Baker Mackenzie, and the Blassie Family of Belleville, IL.