Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 16 Julio 2020 GOVERNMENT CHICAGO H I S P A N I C P O W E R H I S P A N I C P O W E R CHICAGO CECILIA ABUNDIS Acting Director Department of Financial and Professional Regulation State of Illinois Abundis is a cabinet member in Gov. J.B Pritzker's administration where she oversees the licensing and discipline of more than 1 million Illinois licensees in more than 70 professions, including healthcare, cosmetology, and design. Prior to her appointment, Abundis was an assistant attorney general in the Consumer Fraud Bureau of the Illinois Attorney's General's Office where she worked on multi-state cases against mortgage lending institutions, national banks, for-profit schools, automobile manufactures, and automobile suppliers. JOSÉ ALVAREZ Executive Director Illinois Tollway Board As executive director, Alvarez oversees a government agency with a $1.5 billion annual budget. He comes to the tollway after having several public sector leadership roles, including chief of staff for the State Superintendent of Education for Washington, D.C., Schools, deputy chief of staff for the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, and most recently, chief operating officer and chief of staff for the Chicago Housing Authority. LISA DUARTE First Assistant Deputy Governor for Budget & Economy State of Illinois In her job for the Pritzker Administration, Duarte oversees nine agencies and more than 100 various boards and commissions related to budget, finance, economic development, licensing and regulatory issues. Prior to joining the administration, she was a partner in the government affairs practice group at Forde Law Offices. She is a founding board member of the Chicago City Council Latino Caucus Foundation Leadership Academy which focuses on mentoring and training the next generation of Chicago's leaders. DIEGO FERRER, Lead IT/ Telecommuni- cations Division Chicago Department of Aviation Website: www. cityofchicago. org/aviation Diego Ferrer has more than 25 years of technical experience in the IT Industry, including in strategic planning, systems design, development and maintenance, vendor management, engineering, networking, and office technologies. He currently leads efforts to develop solutions that improve the customer experience, reduce costs, and enhance efficiencies in his division. SOL FLORES Deputy Governor Health and Human Services Department State of Illinois Flores is the founding executive director of La Casa Norte, a nonprofit organization established in 2002 that has served more than 30,000 youth and families confronting homelessness. Flores built La Casa Norte from two employees to multi-million-dollar organization with more than 80 employees who deliver services to help homeless youth and families. She was raised by a single mother who came to Chicago from Puerto Rico, and Flores was recognized for her work by the Obama White House. MARCELINO GARCIA Commissioner Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Garcia is an attorney with expertise in local and international government, healthcare and community affairs. He is also a partner with Overseas Strategies LLC, an international business development consulting firm that helps small- and medium-sized companies with the logistics of import/export and market development. During his career he has worked in leadership roles at nonprofits and governments. Through his work at the Chicago Legal Clinic, he was able to help clients deal with mortgage foreclosures, bankruptcy, and immigration matters. Garcia is a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater. JESSE MARTÍNEZ Administrator of Diversity Capital Development Board State of Illinois. In his role Martinez represents the director in daily activities with governmental agencies, the Legislature, and the construction industry. In addition, he coordinates a variety of training seminars and workshops to assist minority-, women- and veteran- certified construction, architectural and engineering firms with prequalification, bidding, contract compliance, bonding and insurance. In addition to experience in the public sector, Martinez was a commodities, futures and options broker, and is a former member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade. FRANCISCO MENCHACA Director Division of Financial Institutions State of Illinois Menchaca was appointed director in July 2013 of the Division of Financial Institutions, which regulates more than 2,500 Illinois licensed businesses that primarily serve underbanked communities. The division also regulates title insurance and charters credit unions in Illinois. Prior to joining the state Menchaca spent more than 20 years in the banking and the financial services industry, notably serving as a vice president at JPMorgan Chase & Co. before he served at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. SUSANA MENDOZA Comptroller State of Illinois In 2016, Mendoza became the first Hispanic to run for and win statewide office as a Democrat. In 2000 she got her political start at age 28 as the youngest member of the General Assembly. She later co-founded the first Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus. After six terms she became the first woman elected Chicago city clerk, where, among other things, she created a year- round sales program for city vehicle stickers that brought in more money and cost less. MICHAEL NEGRON Assistant Director Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Negron was born and raised in Illinois. He served in the U.S. Navy after college and worked in the White House and on Capitol Hill during the depths of the financial crisis. In 2011, Negron returned to Chicago to be a policy advisor to Mayor Rahm Emanuel where he helped raise the minimum wage, create a free community college program for Chicago Public Schools students who graduate with a B average, and establish a legal defense fund for undocumented residents. MARTHA SADZI OLIVA Commissioner Illinois Commerce Commission Sadzi was appointed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner to a five-year term as ICC commissioner. She had previously been general counsel for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. She also worked at the Department of Children and Family Services as the chief administrative law judge, and worked in several other roles in state government. ALBERTO ORTEGA Director of Workforce Strategy and Business Engagement City of Chicago Ortega coordinates the implementation of a new workforce development strategy across city departments and in collaboration with Cook County, the business community and other key stakeholders. This strategy is focused on promoting the economic mobility of low-income residents. He also oversees the newly created Chicago Construction Careers Council, a multi-department and multi-agency task force charged with creating new standards for hiring, training, and supplying labor needs for construction projects in Chicago. JESSE RUIZ Deputy Governor State of Illinois Before joining the Pritzker administration, Ruiz served as counsel to the transition committee, was a partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, and a lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School. He currently serves as president of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners and as a commissioner on the Public Building Commission. He has also been vice president of the Chicago Board of Education, interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools, and chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education. CARINA SANCHEZ Executive Director Chicago Public Building Commission Sanchez was appointed in 2019 to lead the Chicago Public Building Commission, where she runs City Hall's construction division, handling building and some financing projects READ MORE AT NEGOCIOSNOW.COM As commissioner for Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Escareño is a cabinet member in Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot's administration, bringing modernization and equity to Chicago's marketplace. Escareño has made public service her life's work, and she has worked under three Chicago mayors. She has managed day-to-day operations and implemented policy reforms across multiple city agencies, and throughout her career has championed initiatives to enhance the quality of life of Chicago residents. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Escareño has been at the forefront of Chicago's business recovery, including administering $120 million in business financial relief and setting up protections for essential workers. She has modernized enforcement to improve Chicago's hospitality industry and night-life operations, and to address problem industries. And she led labor initiatives such as Chicago's minimum wage, paid sick leave and fair workweek ideas. Many years before taking her present position, Escareño was already a great friend of Negocios Now, providing us with useful information for entrepreneurs and helping in our constant search for stories for our readers. She is a champion, opening doors of opportunity to all businesses in the city. Escareño holds a master's degree in communications from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree from Loyola University Chicago. Rosa Escareño Commissioner Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection City of Chicago EL AMIGO DE NEGOCIOS NOW AWARD

• Cover