Casa Central appointed 12 new members to its Emerging Leaders Auxiliary Board (ELAB) on January 1, 2021. ELAB is comprised of 26 distinguished young professionals from various industries across the Chicago area. Members of ELAB serve as ambassadors for Casa Central and help support the programs, activities, and communities it serves through fundraising events, volunteer service, and professional engagement.
In 2020, ELAB successfully hosted a virtual fundraising event featuring a mezcal cocktail class led by Vida Mia Cocktails. Additionally, ELAB meets quarterly to discuss opportunities to impact Casa Central participants, the community, and promote awareness, and support of Casa Central.
Over the next year, ELAB members will work closely with 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. With almost 600 employees and an almost $19-million-dollar budget, Casa Central provides critical social services to children, families and older adults. ELAB’s Staff Team Leader is Rebecca Zavala, Casa Central’s Advancement Officer. ELAB new members are:
Francisco Bautista - Software Engineer, Aligned Meetings
Francisco Bautista recently joined Aligned Meetings, a startup company focusing on creating an enterprise software for high performing teams to have a more efficient schedule and strengthen their meetings in Chicago and plays a major role for the success of the company. Francisco attended Northeastern Illinois University where he earned a degree in computer science.
Sally Delgado - Director of Development & Alumni Relations, Morton College
Sally joined Morton College in 2017 as the Recruitment Specialist and is now serving as the Director of Development & Alumni Relations where she manages and implement strategies for annual giving programs to secure philanthropic support from key stakeholders and oversees alumni engagement activities. Sally earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Northeastern Illinois University and her Master’s Degree in Education from DePaul University.
Luis Gonzalez - DREAMer Supports Manager, Noble Network of Charter Schools
Luis is Noble Network Charter School’s DREAMer Supports Manager, where he oversees the Pritzker Access Scholarship (PAS) which is resulting in DREAMers completing college at nationally unprecedented rates and provides strategic support to improve the college outcomes for undocumented students in the Chicago metropolitan area. Luis earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Degree from Indiana University, South Bend.
William Jaramillo - Community Manager, Vice President, JPMorgan Chase
William is a Community Manager at JP Morgan Chase & Co. William's experience includes business banking, wealth management and branch management. William is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management at DePaul University.
Jessica Munoz - Management Consultant, Allstate Insurance Company
Jessica graduated from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. After graduating, she completed Allstate's three-year leadership program, where she gained unique experiences in various areas of the company before joining their Internal Management Consulting team.
Cesar Novillo - IT Risk Management and Compliance Lead Consultant, Allstate Insurance Company
Cesar has over 15 years of banking and insurance experience and currently works as a Lead Consultant in IT Risk Management and Compliance. Cesar earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master of Business Administration and Master of Information System Management from Keller Graduate School of Management.
Saul Pagan - Community Relations Coordinator, Meridian Health/Centene Corporation
Saul works for Meridian Health as a Community Relations Coordinator. In 2020, Saul and his wife started an online business that specializes in collectables, personalized gifts, and other novelties. Saul has a Health Care Administration Master’s Degree from Ashford University and is currently working on his Master of Information Systems Management Degree at Walden University.
Saira Puga - Automation Business Analyst, Accelirate Inc.
Saira is an Automation Business Analyst at Accelirate, Inc., where she uses an emerging technology practice called robotic process automation (RPA) to optimize business processes for clients. Saira earned her Bachelor of Science in Business with a Concentration in Marketing from Indiana University, South Bend in 2018.
Natalie Rivera - Meeting & Event Planner, NHS Global Events
Natalie has a passion for planning meetings and events and is a project manager for a meeting and event management company. With ten years of experience in the hospitality industry, she has worked with various clients ranging in corporate and association markets. Natalie earned her Bachelor of Business Management degree from Robert Morris University.
Cesar Rodriguez - National Correspondent & PR Specialist
Cesar is a two-time award-winning bilingual journalist and communications expert with more than 15 years of experience. Cesar is currently a national news correspondent for Scripps Network and travels the country covering the stories that impact and shape communities. Cesar graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he majored in broadcast journalism.
Jeff Sprau - Senior Director, EY – Parthenon
Jeff is a Senior Director in EY-Parthenon’s Chicago office focused on transactions and operational improvement for private equity portfolio companies. He is a seasoned deal professional with over a decade of combined M&A consulting and direct private equity investing experience. Jeff graduated from Bentley University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics and Finance.
Jasmin Zamora - Inclusion & Engagement Manager, CF Industries
Jasmin recently joined CF Industries as Manager, Inclusion and Engagement. In this role, she is responsible for leading programs and processes focused on enhancing inclusion, diversity and employee engagement. Prior to CF, she held the role of Manager, Communications and Community Relations at Combined Insurance, a Chubb company, where she managed a team and all integrated communications. Jasmin earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Journalism from Purdue University Northwest.
ELAB members were selected through a competitive application process and were chosen to ensure a diverse mix of talents and backgrounds. The members will serve for a minimum one-year term.
Current ELAB member Dora Cornelio, Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, was appointed chairperson of ELAB; Luis Narvaez, Project Director for the Chicago Public Schools, was appointed vice chairperson; Luis Polanco, Ethics and Compliance Manager for Reyes Holdings, LLC, was appointed secretary; and Yoly Valencia, Assistant Vice President and Portfolio Planning Manager with Jones Lang LaSalle, was appointed Engagement Officer.
“All Emerging Leaders Auxiliary Board members embody the spirit of community and bring talent, expertise, and energy to the table. We are very fortunate to have them join us as we continue to strengthen and support Casa Central’s mission. We are also excited because through ELAB, Casa Central contributes to the professional development and community engagement of the next generation of Latino and Latina leaders.” said Martin R. Castro, Casa Central’s President and CEO. To this end, ELAB members have moved on to serve on Casa Central’s Board of Directors and its board committees. Most recently, David Escontrias from Combined Insurance joined the Board of Directors and Pablo Ramirez from Family Office Exchange was invited to serve on the Board of Director’s Advancement Committee.