Instituto
employs a dynamic team of talented, hard working, experienced and mission-driven
bi-lingual leaders who are professionally and personally dedicated to
the education and empowerment of the Latina/o community. Their
commitment and passion inspire participants to grow, move forward, and
reach their fullest potential. Instituto is also backed by an impressive
Board of Directors – actively engaged alumni, nationally prominent
business executives, attorneys, marketing experts, healthcare authorities
and technology specialists who fuel Instituto's mission with a genuine
commitment to the advancement of the Latina/o community.
| Executive Cabinet |
 |
Juan Salgado,
Executive Director
Juan became Instituto's leader in 2001, and was a volunteer for
ten years. He
is a recognized national advocate for immigrant rights. Juan is President of
the Board of the Illinois Council of Immigrant and Refugee Rights. He holds a
Masters from the University of Illinois and Bachelors from Illinois Wesleyan
University. |
|
Ricardo Estrada, Ed.D, MBA, Vice-President
of Education and Programs
Dr. Estrada has held a dual role as Director of Budget and Operations
and Director of Carreras en Salud since 2005. He
has a distinguished career in administration and program development
for over 20 years. Dr. Estrada holds a Ed.D from National Louis
University. |
|
Miguel Cambray,
Director of Development and Communications
After paving the way for the nationally-renowned college bridge program, Escalera:
Taking Steps to Success, Miguel has now accepted a new role as Director of Development
and Communications. He has Bachelor's from the University of Illinois at
Chicago. Miguel has Masters in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern
Illinois University, where he was an Enlace Fellow. |
|
Leticia Vasquez,
Business and Accounting Manager
With six years in non-profit finance and an additional six years
in corporate finance, Leticia joined Instituto as a Business
and Accounting Manager. She
holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from DePaul University and
earned her Master's degree in Accounting and Finance from Keller Graduate School. |
| Leadership Team |
 |
Stephen
Alderson, Director of Adult Learning
Steve has been at Instituto five years and has 17 years of experience
teaching Latino adults. He has a Master's, and is completing
his Ph.D. dissertation, from the University of Illinois. Steve
is a member of the Chicago Area Planning Council and Family Literacy
Advisory Council. |
Gabriela
Arismendi, Director of Youth Development
After 3 years as the Escalera Coordinator, Gabriela was recently promoted
to Director of Youth Development. She holds a Bachelor's in Secondary English
Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago and was recently accepted
to the University of Chicago, School Social Service Administration as a graduate
candidate in Social Service. |
Sonia
Gaete, Director of Citizenship
Sonia has directed the program for six years. She is a member of the Chicago
Commission on Human Relations Advisory Council on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.
She has a Bachelor's from the University of Chile, a non-profit management certificate
from Roosevelt University, and completed Master's coursework at Loyola University. |
Patricia
Muñoz-Rocha, Senior Educational Charter/Pathways Specialist
Patricia's
personal mission is committed to Urban Education by empowering working
poor communities to succeed, under the educational motto “Failure is Not an Option; Success
the Only Option” Patricia began teaching while still
in college and has 20 years of experience in K-12 classroom as
well as colleges and universities. As an administrator she
spent four years working for IBM, and then developed a successful
career as an educational leader, including the foundation of Mirta
Ramirez Computer Science Charter School [MR(cs)2]
in 2002. She has a B.S. in Systems Engineering. |
Christine
Rivera, Director of The Rudy Lozano Leadership Academy
After working as a Lead Engineer at Lucent Technologies, Christine
came to Instituto in 2000. She assumed leadership of the Rudy
Lozano Leadership Academy in 2003. Christine
holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Florida Institute
of Technology. |
| Student
Advisory Council |
Loyda
Miranda, Council President
Ruth Miranda, Council
Vice-President
Manuel Lopez, Council
Secretary
Gloria Brito, Council Treasurer
Rogelio Garcia, Council Speaker
Marcela Garcia, Council Speaker
Martha Galvan, Council Speaker
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