Chicago, Illinois – Casa Central, one of the largest Hispanic serving social service agencies in the midwest, today announced the members of its new Emerging Leaders Auxiliary Board (ELAB). The board is comprised of 22 distinguished young professionals from various industries across the Chicago area. Members of ELAB will serve as ambassadors for Casa Central and help support the programs, activities and communities it serves through fundraising events, volunteer service, and professional engagement. Casa Central makes this announcement as it prepares for its upcoming 65th anniversary.
“The launch of our new Emerging Leaders Auxiliary Board comes at an important time for Casa Central and the communities we serve,” said Martin R. Castro, Interim President and CEO of Casa Central, “Now more than ever we must prepare the next generation of leaders to not only help propel Casa Central’s mission forward but to also provide them with the experience and tools they need to broadly and impactfully lead the Latino community into the future.”
Over the next year, ELAB members will work closely with the Casa Central’s Board of Directors and executive staff to design fundraising activities and recruitment strategies to engage young professionals with Casa Central’s mission. Casa Central will also provide professional development activities to help members prepare to serve as directors on non-profit governing boards. Jose M Muñoz, Casa Central’s CMO & VP of External Affairs, spearheaded the ELAB recruitment process and will be working with its members to design philanthropic and community engagement activities.
“Hundreds of individuals expressed interest in being part of this inaugural cohort and after a vigorous recruitment process it is exciting to see such a talented group of young professionals come together,” said Muñoz, “I look forward to working with them to design innovative forms of philanthropic engagement.”
ELAB’s Staff Team Leader will be Rebecca Zavala, Casa Central’s Advancement Officer, and includes the following ELAB members:
Jessica Avitia, Analyst at Accenture
Daisy Ayllon, Attorney at Levin & Perconti
Oscar M. Blanco, Brokerage Director at Mass Mutual Chicago
Erika Chavez, Director of Marketing and Communications for College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago
Dora Cornelio, Associate Attorney at Schmidt Salzman & Moran, Ltd.
Yahaira G. Corona, Senior Project Manager, Diversity & Inclusion at Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
David A. Escontrias, Director of Operations, Latino Markets at Combined Insurance a Chubb company
Abram Garcia, Program Manager at Central States SER – Jobs for Progress Inc.
Diana García, Candidate for Master of Public Health at Northern Illinois University
Charles Rosendo Herrig, Strategic Sourcing Manager at Zentis North America
Kiara Landin, Community Impact Coordinator at American Heart Association
Daniel Enrique Marcano, Recruiting Manager at Robert Half Technology
Chris Naranjo, Credit Analyst at Bridgeview Bank
Luis Narváez, Project Director at Chicago Public Schools
Cesar Novillo, IT Risk Management and Compliance at Allstate
Pablo J. Ramirez, Teller Supervisor at BMO Harris Bank
Yazmeen Ramirez, QIDP/ Residential Coordinator at Search Inc
Nicholas J. Ramos, Community Activist
Juan Rangel, Creative Producer at Family Bridges / Lazos de Familia
Irene Robles, Global Treasury Reporting Analyst at Mars, Inc.
Christian Sanchez, Project Engineer at S&C Electric Company
Jennifer Zoberman, Merchandise Manager at McMaster-Carr Supply Co
ELAB members were selected through a competitive recruitment process and were vetted by Casa Central’s executive leadership team to ensure a diverse mix of talents and backgrounds. The members will serve for a minimum one-year term.
About Casa Central
Casa Central is one of the largest Hispanic social service agencies in the midwest. Since 1954, Casa Central has delivered evidenced based, award winning programming in response to the needs of the Hispanic community, offering different programs for children, older adults and families in general. Through comprehensive, family-centered programming, Casa Central is the conduit by which thousands of individuals build hope for the future while equipping themselves to achieve a sustainable, higher quality of life to the benefit of self, family, community and society.