Team & Board

Niquenya Collins

President, Cultivate Collective
Owner & Head Chef, Cocoa Chili’s

Born in LeClaire Courts, Niquenya Collins is a multiplatform entrepreneur with over 25 years’ experience in management consulting, coaching, training, and development. She partners with small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, executives, and nonprofit leadership teams to bridge the gap between where they are now and where they need to be to build successful, sustainable, and revenue-generating business systems. Niquenya has functioned in a variety of roles spanning multiple industries such as information technology, banking and finance, hospitality, retail, insurance, medical, and real estate, to name a few. This vast experience has well positioned Niquenya to be a dynamic corporate, workforce development, and entrepreneurship trainer as she is able to easily connect the dots from classroom to real world scenarios for learners of all ages.

A natural problem solver, Niquenya is a Master of Marketing, communications, and business analytics. She often publishes articles and short educational works that break down complex concepts into easily digestible wisdom nuggets for the average professional. She has also coached executive leadership teams of nonprofit organizations across the city of Chicago both in private practice and in partnership with The Executive Service Corps of Chicago. Niquenya possesses a master’s degree in Business Administration, a Bachelor of Science degree in Technical Management, a Professional Diploma in Computer Network Sciences, and certifications and awards in various disciplines including coaching, training, and mediation. Niquenya’s family has lived in the LeClaire Courts area on the southwest side of Chicago for her entire life, so it is important to her to see our community thrive.

Kris De la Torre

Sustainability Coordinator,
Academy for Global Citizenship

Kris De la Torre (she/her) is the Sustainability Coordinator at the Academy for Global Citizenship. Previously, she facilitated a Critical Participatory Action Research initiative with Advocates for Urban Agriculture that emphasized equitable funding distribution and financial fluency for BIPOC farmers. Kris spent five years working for the Chicago Botanic Garden as a coordinator for transitional jobs and youth development programs. She has stewarded land in rural and urban settings to grow and maintain a diversity of fruits, vegetables, and livestock. Kris received her M. Ed. in Human Development & Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Certificate in Culinary Nutrition from The Natural Gourmet Institute in New York, NY, and a BA in Museum Education & Spanish from Lake Forest College.

Her work in sustainability, experiential education and social justice has taken her to over 15 countries. Through travel and a deep connection to her Mexican ancestry, she brings a global lens to facilitate nuanced conversations that build a joyful, collective vision, even in the midst of a trans-apocalyptic world. She hopes to shape and support the Cultivate Collective by centering racial justice and authentic community engagement.

Anslem Elumogo-Gardner

Head of Strategy & Operations at AdvanceEDU

Anslem joins the Cultivate Collective board with nearly 15 years of community building work and as a staunch advocate for social and racial justice. He has held leadership roles in the city, recently at Greater Southwest Development Corporation, a partner of Cultivate Collective. He is presently the Head of Strategy & Operations at AdvanceEDU, a workforce and education accelerator. He hopes to leverage his strong background in workforce development and upskilling to thoughtfully lead strategy while bringing along a network of valuable partners and participants throughout the city. Anslem is thrilled to be among the first board members of Cultivate Collective as he understands and appreciates the importance of elevating the voices of those impacted. He has a deep passion for creating generational wealth in communities that have unjustly become the product of years of disinvestment. He knows from living and working in the south and southwest side of Chicago that it is full of life and ambition and sees the opportunity on this board and through this project to cultivate and support those ambitions. He’s hopeful that other cities can see the power of this project and emulate it to cultivate the same.

Anslem lives on the south side of Chicago with his wife and ever-growing family. He earned his MBA at the University of Denver and moved to Chicago five years ago to be closer to family and help make one of the greatest cities in the world even greater for everyone, especially its residents. When not volunteering or working, he spends time trying new wines, traveling, playing basketball, or hanging at the lake with the dogs.

Melissa Finley

Founder & CEO, Helping Hands Homeless Foundation
Officer, LeClaire-Hearst Park Advisory Council

Melissa Finley’s family has lived in LeClaire Courts for 31 years. Melissa is the Founder and CEO of Helping Hands Homeless Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. As a driving force and visionary behind a women-led nonprofit, Ms. Finley started out in 2017 to help end world hunger and prevent ongoing homelessness in the Greater Chicago Area. She helps individuals less fortunate out on the street and those residing in shelters.

Melissa knows the importance of being without, having been homeless before and living out of her car. Melissa provides continuous support in the City of Chicago and has developed multiple sponsorships and partnerships with amazing businesses, including The Hatchery, Bonfire, Greater Chicago Food Depository, and the Chicago Furniture Bank. Melissa is excited to lend her activism, community leadership, and nonprofit experience to furthering Cultivate’s mission and impact.

Jesse Íñiguez

Co-Founder & Director of Coffee Operations, Back of the Yards Coffee Co.

Born to Mexican immigrants from Jalisco, Jesse Iñiguez is the Co-Founder of Back of the Yards Coffee Co. a woman- and minority-owned coffee company located in Chicago’s southwest side and one of the few Latinx owned coffee companies in the country. A lifelong resident of Back of the Yards, Jesse is no stranger to the pervasive needs of Chicago’s black and brown communities and the lack of resources to address them. As a business owner, active community member, and parent to Academy for Global Citizenship students, he is excited to contribute his skills and experience as a Founding Board Member of the Cultivate Collective.

In 1999, as a freshman in college, he walked into a coffee shop for the very first time, and quickly understood the value that something like that could have in his community. That is why, in 2016, he and his partner decided to open up a specialty coffee company in Back of the Yards in order to create a profitable and sustainable business model that would not only provide a much-needed safe space for his community, but that would create jobs, stimulate the local economy and create real social impact.

Sarah Elizabeth Ippel

Founder & Executive Director, Academy for Global Citizenship

Sarah Elizabeth has had the honor of working hand-in-hand with Chicago’s southwest side community members, families, and local leaders since 2005. Since founding a local community-based, non-profit organization (the Academy for Global Citizenship) seventeen years ago, she has had the opportunity to collaborate with local voices who have together created a vision for the Cultivate Collective’s community learning, sustainability, and wellness hub.

Today, the Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) is collaboratively led by a Latino Director of Early Childhood Learning, a Hispanic Lower School Principal, and Latina Upper School Principal, who have cumulatively been part of AGC’s journey for over 30 years. As the founding team has grown to over sixty-five colleagues, it has been central to AGC’s mission to cultivate a faculty and staff that is representative of the 96% minority community that they serve. Over 85% of AGC’s faculty and staff either live directly in the community, grew up in the community, are bilingual, and/or ethnically reflect AGC’s constituents. Many of these voices have been instrumental in collaborating with neighborhood leaders to collectively lend their hopes and dreams that has laid the foundation for Cultivate Collective’s mission to grow resilient, equitable and vibrant communities from within. AGC’s history of working in partnership with Chicago’s southwest communities for nearly two decades and proven track record through community-led frameworks has laid the foundation for Cultivate Chicago and will continue to inform the Collective’s social justice-centered approach. It is imperative to Cultivate’s mission that both the vision for the future and the programs today are shaped by and tailored to the unique challenges, opportunities and voices within the community and believe that a community-led organization best positions our model to remain place-based and locally informed.

Since earning a Masters of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge in England at 21, Sarah Elizabeth has traveled to over 100 countries across six continents, extensively immersing herself in educational philosophies and world languages, as well as creating international alliances that have informed the design and culture of the Academy for Global Citizenship. In addition to studying the application of successful educational frameworks in various cultural contexts across the globe, Sarah Elizabeth served as Vice President of Education on the governing board of the United Nations Association, where she fostered the broader implementation of The Growing Connection, an organic gardening initiative established to cross-culturally connect children and educators across continents through technology. Sarah Elizabeth has further completed studies in Nonprofit Management at Harvard Business School. When she is not traveling around the world, speaking about the Academy for Global Citizenship’s vision for systemic change, Sarah Elizabeth enjoys honing her skills as an urban farmer and beekeeper.

Valerie Levingston

Board Committee Chair, Cultivate Collective
LeClaire Resident

Valerie Levingston is proud to be part of the four generations of her family who grew up on the Southwest side of Chicago and currently call the LeClaire community home. Her parents, children and grandchildren have all been a part of this community which is why she feels inspired to join the Cultivate Collective Board. She feels it is important to influence what happens in her neighborhood and she believes in leading change.

Ms. Val is an enthusiastic beauty and wellness practitioner with over 30 years of experience in the industry. She is also an impassioned advocate for the aging. As a licensed cosmetology instructor, esthetician, and massage therapist, she has held a variety of positions in several major Chicagoland area schools and high-end spas including: educator, esthetician, massage therapist, manager, and stylist. Ms. Val believes that there is no beauty without health; therefore, she continuously educates herself on both traditional and alternative therapies incorporating nutrition, aromatherapy, herbs, and other modalities for optimal health and wellness. She asserts that prevention is key so everyone should partner with their healthcare provider to advocate on behalf of their own health and well-being. Ms. Val partners with individuals who desire to adopt total wellness as a way of life.

Nathan Sánchez

Alumnus, Academy for Global Citizenship
Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan (Class of 2024)

Born and raised on Chicago’s southwest side near the Cultivate Collective community hub, Nathan is excited to lend his voice and passion as a Founding Board Member. As a member of the Academy for Global Citizenship’s first graduating class, Nathan developed a lifelong love for learning and is currently pursuing his degree in Aeropspace Engineering at the University of Michigan. While at AGC, Nathan could be found under the solar energy learning lab and demonstration wind turbine in the school’s playground which contributed to his curiosity and interest in STEM.

Nathan is the Injector Lead on Michigan Aeronautical Science Association (MASA), a collegiate rocketry team that focuses on developing bipropellant liquid rockets. Nathan led the design, analysis, and testing of MASA’s injector, while also developing Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams and ground support equipment for engine testing. As an older brother to two more AGC graduates pursuing STEM fields, Nathan believes in the power of education for cultivating a thriving future generation.

Rolando Santoyo

Owner, La Selva Shop

As a member of the Garfield Ridge community for the past ten years and as a local business owner, Rolando is excited to be part of the Cultivate Collective’s Founding Board as he is committed to addressing the needs of our community and ensuring environmentally friendly options for future generations. Rolando is happy to have a public school like the Academy for Global Citizenship so close to his home that provides an opportunity to educate our children about saving the environment around us. In addition to being an artist, Rolando is the owner of La Selva Shop, a unique product line of clothing and accessories that started with the intentions embracing community pride in the Back of the Yards and southwest side of Chicago.

Rolando has been an active member in the community since his teenage years. He started at Holy Cross/Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish as a muralist, musician, graphic designer, web designer, mentor, art teacher and a parish council member. During his high school years, he was commissioned to paint murals in the gymnasium of Seward Academy and exterior walls of the Holy Cross/IHM Parish Youth Center and community garden. Rolando holds a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts Multimedia Production and Design / Computer Graphics (BFA) from the International Academy of Design and Technology.

Rolando is also a mentor and leader in the community. He is a member of The Peace and Education Coalition (PEC), a coalition that develops leaders and fosters neighborhood networks that promote education, strengthen families, and build peace. He has contributed through judging scholarship recipients for the Back of the Yards Dreamers and Allies Run Scholarship Fund and the Peace and Education Coalition Scholarship Fund.

Rolando is a member of Padrinos, an organization that helps raise funds for after school programs in obtaining resources for the children of the Back of the Yards. Rolando is also a committee member of the Back of the Yards Dia de los Muertos Celebration, a community-led organization that produces the Day of the Dead festivities that brings art and culture to the community.

Nancy Villafranca-Guzman

Deputy Commissioner, Programming
Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events (City of Chicago)

Nancy Villafranca-Guzman has over twenty years of experience in the art, culture, and education fields. She joined the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) in 2021 as their Deputy Commissioner for Programming. Prior to her arrival at DCASE, she was the Vice President for Education and Engagement at the Chicago History Museum where she oversaw the Museum’s school and public programs and initiatives, and the visitor engagement teams. From 2015-16, she was also the Chicago office Director of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR), a national Latino research consortium headquartered at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

As Director of Education at the National Museum of Mexican Art, a position she held for almost ten years, Nancy led a team of educators and artists, and guided the development of museum-based curriculum for cultural understanding and launched many of the Museum’s long-standing arts education programs. Nancy also taught Social Science and Humanities in two Chicago public schools. She received her undergraduate degree in Secondary Education from DePaul University and her Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Nancy recently completed a second Master of Art in Museum and Exhibition Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

She is a first-generation Chicagoan and Mexican-American, a southwest side community member, and a mother of two wonderful children who experienced first-hand a well-rounded education at the Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) since 2008. While remaining an active parent at AGC, she volunteered in various capacities including as President of the Community Council from 2014-2016.

Felicia Watson

Secretary, LeClaire-Hearst Park Advisory Council
LeClaire Resident

Felicia Watson wants to see young people thrive across the city of Chicago through well-resourced schools and abundant out of school opportunities. As a mother of three, a college graduate and an experienced educator who continues to share her gifts as a substitute teacher for Chicago Public Schools, she recognizes the potential of our young people to lead the way to a better Southwest side. Felicia is a Chicago native who grew up in the LeClaire/Hearst community and following a decade in Oklahoma, calls the Southwest side home once again. She serves as the secretary for the LeClaire-Hearst Park Advisory Council and uses her experience as part of various not-for-profit committees to inform her activism and leadership.

Felicia is passionate about joining the Cultivate Collective Board in order to address the issues of equitable resources for every generation, but especially for teenagers and young adults on the Southwest side of Chicago.

Margo Wright

Hearst Community Organization Member
LeClaire Resident

Margo Wright is a Chicago native who spent her childhood in the LeClaire Courts community where she demonstrated an early enthusiasm for organizing and social justice as a member of her school’s Student Government. After many years away, during which she became a mother, a college graduate, and a well-established advocate and professional in workforce development and transitional jobs, she returned to the Southwest side of Chicago to provide care and support to her elderly parents. During Margo’s career of over 30+ years in job placement and workforce development on behalf of City Colleges of Chicago and the Federal Government, she hosted job fairs and provided training on essential skills like resume writing, interviewing, and computer literacy. She is a mother of three and an active member of the Hearst Community Organization. She is a Trustee member and a participant on the Mother’s Board at the LeClaire Missionary Baptist Church. Her commitment to her faith includes preparing a weekly Sunday breakfast for congregants since 2007.

She is passionate about joining Cultivate Collective in order to amplify the voices of her community members and ensure economic prosperity through job training and workforce development.

Erika Allen

Co-Founder & CEO, Urban Growers Collective

Erika Allen is the Co-Founder & CEO – Operations for Urban Growers Collective and the President of Green ERA Educational NFP and Co-Owner of Green Era Sustainability Partners. Previously, Allen founded and was the Director of Growing Power – Chicago for 15-years from 2002 to 2017. 

Allen is the Board President of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council and serves on the board of Grow Greater Englewood and Growing Home. 

Allen received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MA in art psychotherapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and uses her experience as a visual artist to consult with individuals and organizations to support their visioning of social and economic changes. She is passionate about social justice and working with multicultural groups in the elimination of racism and oppression using integrating creative and therapeutic techniques alongside food security and community development.

Vanessa Flores Andersen

Sustainability & Property Operations Manager, Ace Hardware Corporation

Vanessa Flores Andersen is an environmental scientist with a background in environmental education, green construction, and corporate sustainability. She attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. While working on her undergraduate degree, Vanessa spent three months in the Galapagos Archipelago, where she observed the Galapagos tortoises that led to Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, the dynamic volcanic activity throughout the islands, and their pertinent flora and fauna. She had the opportunity to work with Hacienda Tranquila, a nonprofit organization, and assist in educating the local population of San Cristobal Island regarding the importance of environmental stewardship. Their collaborative effort encouraged the community to prevent the spread of invasive species, protect their wildlife, and evaluate the efficacy of local policies. 

In her current role as the Sustainability and Property Operations Manager for Ace Hardware Corporation, Vanessa is responsible for developing and implementing a long-term sustainability strategy across the organization. She works with internal and external business partners to enhance approaches and processes and provide effective guidance to foster change and innovation. Vanessa also manages the built environment at Ace Hardware’s corporate campus and provides support to the facilities management teams at each of the fifteen retail support centers. Key areas within her 2022 strategy are to grow the employee-led sustainability council, provide access to environmental education for employees, conserve natural resources throughout the Ace supply chain, generate renewable energy at the retail support centers, and support our local communities through partnerships and volunteerism.

Vanessa was born and raised in the West Lawn neighborhood on Chicago’s southwest side. She played volleyball and soccer throughout the neighborhood schools and learned to drive at Midway Airport. She knew at a young age that she wanted to have a meaningful career, travel, learn about other cultures and customs and most importantly, make her immigrant parents proud. Vanessa firmly believes in the power of education to advance sustainability and have a more equitable and just world.

Pon Angara

Principal & Creative Director, Bakarda Circle

Pon Angara is Director of Barkada Circle®, a team of artists mentoring nonprofits on how to tell more compelling stories about their missions. Pon helps leaders use the narrative approach to problem solving for sparking conversations, building community, and launching initiatives that create impact. He has delivered keynotes and workshops on the power of storytelling at several association conferences and foundation seminars

Since he began working with nonprofits, Pon saw gaps and inequities in America’s education system. When he was introduced to the Academy for Global Citizenship during its early development, Pon realized that the school would be the beacon and catalyst for the transformation and innovation needed to build a new ecosystem for learning. He helped to create AGC’s brand and served on the Board of Directors in 2005–2007. Barkada is a word in the Filipino language that means “best friends.” When he’s not working with stories, Pon searches for his next great foodie find! He’s always ready to take you to the best Filipino restaurants in Chicago.

Angela Brooks

Director, Illinois Office of the Corporation for Supportive Housing

Angela Brooks is a talented and passionate community advocate who brings a wealth of expertise in housing development, policy, and implementation across private, public, and nonprofit sectors along with her passion for access to housing and community development. She is the Director of the Illinois Office of the Corporation for Supportive Housing and previously spent a decade at the Chicago Housing Authority.

Angela has a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies with a concentration in Housing and Community Development from Jackson State University. She is a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners and currently serves as a National Board member of the American Planning Association and is the Vice President of Membership for the Ely Chapter – Lambda Alpha International.

Lastly, Angela is very involved in her community and holds membership in Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, Hoffman Estates Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, Gift of Hope Ambassador, Mentor with both Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Jackson State University National Alumni Association Chicago Chapter. Angela is an avid cyclist and triathlete and serves on the Board of Bike Illinois and is a member of the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Chicago.

Aasia Mohammad Castañeda

Community Partnerships Manager, Chicago Food Policy Action Council

Aasia (she, her) identifies as a South Asian Chicana, born and raised, Chicagoan. She is a mother, daughter of immigrants, descendant of farmers, and a determined organizer focusing on food cultures and self-care. She is a natural community weaver, always making links, and finds joy in the fruition of radical ideation. She was part of the inaugural Multicultural Leadership Academy, currently on the Leader’s Council for People of the Global Majority in Outdoors, Nature & Environment, a Network Architect for Vital Lands Illinois and serves on the Board of Directors for the Advocates for Urban Agriculture as well as the Advisory Council for the Environmentalist of Color Network. 

At the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, she co-leads the Urban Steward Action Network and is part of the governance structure for the Illinois Worker Cooperative Alliance. As a southwest side resident and parent of a student at the Academy for Global Citizenship, Aasia is excited to lend her expertise and passion for sustainable food systems to the Strategic Advisory Council.

Jorge Elizondo

Project Manager, Friedler Construction Company

Jorge Elizondo is a veteran of the construction industry, with over 20 years of experience all in the greater Chicago area. He currently is a Project Manager with Friedler Construction Company, and prior to that was the President/CEO of Windy City Contracting.

Jorge founded and managed Windy City Contracting, a family owned, MBE, DBE certified site contracting firm that specializes in public and commercial projects. They performed demolition, excavating, concrete work, selective interior demolition, landscaping, general miscellaneous labor, maned equipment rental and post construction clean up.

As Cultivate Collective ushers in the Green Business Institute, Jorge will serve as a valued advisor related to workforce development specific to minority job training in the construction industry. Jorge currently lives in close proximity to the new Cultivate campus.

Ricardo Estrada

President & CEO, Metropolitan Family Services

Ric Estrada is CEO of Metropolitan Family Services, one of Illinois’ largest and best-respected human services agencies. Since joining Metropolitan in 2011 he has helped the agency more than double in revenue and families served. Ric has three decades of human services leadership experience. Prior to joining Metropolitan, he served as First Deputy Commissioner of the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS). He previously served as Executive Director of Erie Neighborhood House in Chicago. Ric serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois as well as on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Woods Fund of Chicago, the Grand Victoria Foundation, A Better Chicago, and Erie Elementary School.

Honored as an American Marshall Memorial Fellow, Ric also has been recognized as a Leadership Greater Chicago Distinguished Fellow. He has received the City Club of Chicago John A. McDermott Award for Distinguished Social Leadership, the University of Illinois at Chicago City Partner Award, and the University of Chicago’s Inaugural SSA Social Impact Alumni Award. In addition, Ric was named a Roberto Clemente honoree by the Chicago Cubs and has received the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award from the Chicago Bears. Additional accolades include being named “Person of the Year” by the Corporate Responsibility Group of Chicago, receiving a Kellogg CEO Perspectives Fellowship, and earlier in his career, being selected as one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ “40 under 40.” Ric’s educational background includes an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an M.A. in Social Service Policy and Administration from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, and a B.S. in Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago.

Liz Gilmore

Executive Creative Director, Dropbox

Liz is the Executive Creative Director at Dropbox, leading the Brand Studio Design team through engaging storytelling, brand forward experiences, and consistent brand application across the end-to-end customer journey. She’s a creative, photographer, mistake-maker, plant mama and baby mama to an unstoppable toddler.

Her journey and passion with AGC started all the way back around 2012 when she had the pleasure to see the institution’s mission in practice as the original designer and photographer for the school’s website and marketing materials. She’s been able to see the school and its brand evolve as they pave the way forward for a new and better approach to education at Catalyst Southwest. Continuing that advocacy now as a member of the Strategic Advisory Council is a natural extension of her past decade of admiration and support for AGC’s mission. She’s fallen in love with the AGC’s approach towards serving the whole child and fostering environmental stewardship in their daily practices and even got to meet their first schoolyard chickens, a real celebrity moment for her.

Brent Hawkins

Partner, Morgan, Lewis, and Bockius LLP

Brent played an instrumental role in the founding of the Academy for Global Citizenship and was a member of the Founding Board of Directors. He spent most of his childhood on Chicago’s south side with a family that emphasized educational vigor. He understands that supportive role models who encourage and enhance a youth’s personal and educational experiences can be essential contributors to a successful future. Having spent several years of his youth in Latin America and having attended an International Baccalaureate school, Brent understands the value of developing a global perspective at a very young age. As such, Brent is passionate about dedicating resources to develop a diverse and well-rounded educational foundation for Chicago’s youth.

As an attorney and current Partner at Morgan Lewis law firm, Brent has more than 20 years of experience litigating intellectual property and other complex commercial disputes for clients in jurisdictions throughout the United States. Throughout his career, Brent has served as lead counsel in numerous patent, trademark, copyright, and complex commercial licensing litigations. Brent has experience across a variety of sectors and industries, with a particular focus on the technology, automotive, fintech, and consumer product sectors.

Othello Meadows III, J.D.

Managing Director, Blue Meridian Partners

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Meadows owns and operates The Meadows Group, a neighborhood redevelopment consulting firm that focuses on helping communities meld the complexities of economic and real estate development into strategies that engage and empower the communities in which they exist.

Prior to these endeavors, Mr. Meadows served as President and CEO of Seventy Five North Revitalization Corp., a community revitalization and development organization. Meadows also served as Executive Director of the Omaha Workforce Collaborative, a non-profit housed at the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, designed to restructure the workforce development efforts of the Omaha metropolitan area. Meadows returned home after nearly 15 years in the southeast order to run a non-partisan voter registration drive that registered over 10,000 new voters in eastern Omaha prior to the 2008 presidential election.

Before returning to Omaha, Meadows operated his own law firm, Othello H. Meadows, P.C. in Atlanta, Georgia where his practice focused on criminal defense, family law, and general civil litigation. Mr. Meadows attended East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina on a basketball scholarship where he earned his BA in Psychology. He later received his Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law in Durham, North Carolina. Mr. Meadows serves on several boards in the Omaha area and he and his wife Tulani are the proud parents of two sons, Garvey and Gibran.

Alicia Ponce-Nunez

Founder and Principal, APMonarch

Alicia Ponce is the founder and principal of APMonarch, a Chicago based Female and Latinx owned Architecture firm. Since founding the firm in 2007, Alicia’s expertise and passion to design healthy buildings and equitable communities have supported many clients in designing radically healthier projects. Her reputation for resilient and eco-conscious architecture secured APMonarch’s role as the Sustainability Architect and direct protégé to Santiago Calatrava and his firm’s design proposal for the 2019 O’Hare International Airport Global Terminal. The international competition drew 1,200 teams and five were selected for the final presentation. The firms project portfolio includes a master plan for the Field Museum, a carbon neutral youth center in Mexico, and a Living Building Challenge project in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Alicia considers APMonarch the pollinators of the built environment designing healthy environments that look good, feel good and perform great.

Currently, Alicia is working on the Cicero Corridor Study and the LeClaire Development located directly east of the Academy for Global Citizenship’s new community learning and sustainability hub where Alicia plans to implement sustainable and walkable community design strategies.

Alicia is proud to be among the <1% of licensed Latina architects in the U.S. and is registered in Illinois and Wisconsin. Alicia is a contributing author of Today’s Inspired Latina Vol. VI Europe Edition. In the book, she writes about her purposeful journey to architecture, entrepreneurship, and connection with nature.

Edgar Ramirez

President and CEO, Chicago Commons

Edgar joined Chicago Commons in 2010 as Associate Executive Director before being named CEO in 2013. As a community organizer in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood prior to joining Chicago Commons, Edgar led significant campaigns at Enlace Chicago and Erie Neighborhood House. He worked on issues such as leadership development, green space improvement, anti-violence campaigns, childcare income eligibility, immigration reform, and youth job development. 

Edgar has served on Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle’s Latino Advisory Committee and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s ad-hoc committee focusing on the reopening of early education centers in light of COVID-19. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, and the Latino Policy Forum. Edgar also serves on the Mayor Lightfoot’s Every Child Ready Chicago Working Group. Edgar is a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow (2016) and a member of the Economic Club of Chicago. He earned a master’s degree from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago in Policy Analysis and Community Organizing, and a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University.

Rosa Ramirez Richter

Director of Engagement & Partnerships, UChicago Consortium of School Research

Rosa is the Director of Chicago Programs + Policy at Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC), a national nonprofit organization that works to make schools healthier places for all children. Her work focuses on integrating health and equity into education policy and practice and building cross sector support and collaboration that supports student health and school wellness. She mobilizes parents, teachers, and principals to be agents of change at the school and district levels, and uses the lessons learned from that work to advocate for key policy and practice changes. She provides strategic direction for school wellness priorities, including transforming the school meal program and reimagining Chicago schoolyards into places that support outdoor play and active learning.

Early on in her career, Rosa was drawn to AGC’s passion to serve the whole child and collaborated with AGC leaders to share their model with the broader school community through teacher and principal professional development programming and other initiatives. Since then, Rosa has championed AGC’s innovative model and continues to be impressed by the powerful and positive impact the school has had on the surrounding southwest neighborhood of Garfield Ridge, which also happens to be the neighborhood in which she grew up!

Rosa holds a BA in Public Policy and Sociology from DePaul University and an MS in Community Development from the University of California at Davis.

Adrian is a Chicago native whose parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from Southern Illinois University, has completed a post-baccalaureate Executive Education program at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business in Chamber Leadership, and is a graduate from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Entrepreneurship Program.

Adrian Soto

Executive Director, Greater Southwest Development Corporation

Adrian Soto serves as Executive Director for Greater Southwest Development Corporation (GSDC) where he has overall strategic, operational, management and regulatory responsibility for the organization. Soto develops and drives a local and inclusive economic development plan, managing appropriate City, County, State relationships and resource availability to support GSDC’s mission. Having grown up in Chicago Lawn, he has a personal stake in the future of the neighborhood and is committed to improving the quality of life for the greater Southwest community.

For the past 17 years, Soto has proven to be an effective, results-oriented leader with a keen ability to build confidence and relationships across a diverse array of stakeholders. Soto’s experience in business and non-profit sectors gives him a unique lens that enables him to move forward complex, high-stakes projects efficiently with an eye toward community collaboration and partnership.

Most recently, Soto served as Chief Strategy Officer for Esperanza Health Centers where he was responsible for supporting the mission of Esperanza by identifying and implementing key strategic initiatives. He led the development of a 26,000 sq./ft. building project financed through New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) with three separate Community Development Entities (CDEs) and total project size of $17.8 million that was completed in May 2019.

Adrian is a Chicago native whose parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from Southern Illinois University, has completed a post-baccalaureate Executive Education program at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business in Chamber Leadership, and is a graduate from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Entrepreneurship Program.

Tavaris West

Alumnus, Academy for Global Citizenship Howard University (Class of 2024)

A proud alumnus from the very first graduating class at the Academy for Global Citizenship, Tavaris spent eight years cultivating a genuine love for learning while embodying International Baccalaureate learner profile traits and attitudes to become a listener, risk-taker, principled, knowledgeable, and caring global citizen. Tavaris transferred his elementary foundation to earn an academic high school scholarship and completed high school with a 4.92 GPA at Marist Catholic High School. Tavaris enjoyed his time at Marist as a student three-sport athlete competing in track, rugby, and football. As a Howard University Bison, he has continued his dedication and determination to his success, maintaining a 3.7 GPA while serving as the rugby team Vice President. 

Tavaris is on the path to earn his BBA degree in finance and will attend dental school following his undergraduate career to become an orthodontist. He hopes to return to his Chicago community someday to open his own orthodontia practice. Tavaris is not only committed to his education and career goals, but also to his family and community.

Alexandra Wiggins

Senior Community Development Advisor, Purpose Built Communities

Alexandra supports current Network Members of Purpose Built Communities and assists new prospects as Senior Community Development Advisor for Purpose Built Communities. Alex is a graduate of Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center where she received her Juris Doctor as well as a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law. While in law school she served as an educational law policy analyst and legal extern for former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and then served as a policy fellow with the Georgia Governor’s Office of Student Achievement shortly after graduation.

Purpose Built Communities helps local leaders create greater racial equity, economic mobility, and improved health outcomes for families and children. PBC serves as a bridge, connecting community leaders with resources and partner organizations that share a vision to make holistic, at-scale investments in defined neighborhoods to achieve excellent and equitable outcomes for the people who live there. Their collaboration with innovative thinkers is driven by a collective desire to advance communities, improve the lives of residents of neighborhoods made vulnerable, end a cycle of intergenerational poverty, and set a new course for cities across the country.

Our Community Benefits Agreement outlines hiring CHA residents and resident-owned businesses, community use of facilities, and community voice and stakeholder engagement in project planning. Additionally, the MOU in place with the Hearst Community Organization and LeClaire Courts Local Advisory Council commits to inclusionary hiring and business participation, focused on minority and women-owned businesses and local workers, a Union Project Labor Agreement, and monthly meetings with community leadership for ongoing collaboration.

Prior to entering law school, Alexandra was a Metro Atlanta Teach for America (TFA) corps member where she spent two years as an elementary educator with a Fulton County Charter School. She served as grade level chair and was selected as a national TFA first year corps member case study for excellence in teaching. Her passion for education and the desire to mandate high quality education for all students regardless of socioeconomic factors led her to explore education law and policy, specifically the constitutionality of educational gerrymandering and halting additional forms of educational segregation.

Alexandra is a proud Georgia Bulldawg – completing her undergraduate studies at The University of Georgia as both an NCAA Scholar Athlete dancer and HOPE Scholarship recipient.

Joann Williams

President, Hearst Community Organization

Joann Williams has played a central role in our longstanding community collaboration and engagement of local voices in our planning and implementation process. As a resident of the community for 54 years, Joann currently serves as President of the local Hearst Community Organization and a Community Engagement Liaison for Catalyst Southwest’s Community Wellness & Sustainability Hub. Joann has also facilitated fresh produce and healthy meal distribution in partnership with the Academy for Global Citizenship’s programs to increase food access in the community.

Joann has been instrumental with ensuring that all neighborhood resident voices are heard throughout the design process of the six-acre development and urban farm. In addition to representing the community in ongoing monthly meetings with our project leadership team, Joann played a lead role in the development of our Community Benefits Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding with the local community organizations and residents. In addition to outlining extensive community engagement and support, these comprehensive documents include partnership commitments such as local and hiring practices and community voice and inclusion with our expanded programming.

Our Community Benefits Agreement outlines hiring CHA residents and resident-owned businesses, community use of facilities, and community voice and stakeholder engagement in project planning. Additionally, the MOU in place with the Hearst Community Organization and LeClaire Courts Local Advisory Council commits to inclusionary hiring and business participation, focused on minority and women-owned businesses and local workers, a Union Project Labor Agreement, and monthly meetings with community leadership for ongoing collaboration.

In her letter of support, Joann has shared that she is “excited about AGC’s mission to cultivate the next generation of globally environmentally minded leaders who are making our world a better place while also emphasizing a healthy living lifestyle with their food and nutrition programs. We look forward to working with you to see this groundbreaking project bring benefits to our community for generations to come.”