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www.negociosnow.com 26 Abril 2023 small business owners through the multiple stages of business development by offering workshops, trainings, access to capital, networking, and referrals. JUAN SOTO President IT Impact Inc. IT Impact is a Microsoft partner located in Chicago and with employees in North and South America. �s they sa� fie�d hospita�s going up as the pandemic took hold, they created a free tool to allow organizations to keep track of ��� inventory� �ovid �upp�ies Database (COVIDSuppliesDatabase. com). It is a simple inventory system that comes loaded with many of the items a fie�d hospita� cou�d need� including many models of ventilators, and is easier than using a spreadsheet. JACQUELINE SOTO Manager of Community Affairs Norwegian American Hospital For the last seven years, Soto has worked at Norwegian American in the community. When the pandemic came, she went into overdrive, and began the coordination of food for staff. When the rates of Covid-19 were disproportionately high at NAH, she helped set up a press conference to be sure that others were aware of the health inequities. She led NAH's social media campaign around Covid and helped coordinate with the National Association of Hispanic Nurses to distribute food. DR. SUSAN PAOLA Family Medicine Rush University Medical Center During the pandemic, Paola has been tireless in her care not only for her patients, but for her fellow staff as well. She has been nominated as a Healthcare Hero by her colleague Itzel Gonzalez, a medical assistant at Rush, who says, "I've seen Dr. Susan very tired and exhausted, working on barely any rest or sleep. Despite this, she has been helping in the Emergency Department during this challenging time and still in the clinic helping her patients� �he rocks�� COVID 2019 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 READ MORE AT NEGOCIOSNOW.COM REYNA TORRES MENDIVIL Consul General of Mexico Chicago Ambassador Torres Mendivil took office in Chicago on July 14, 2019. During her diplomatic career she has held various positions in the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including general director for Latin America and the Caribbean, and deputy general director for international policy on human rights. Before her current position in Chicago, she was consul general in San Antonio, Texas. Torres Mendivil was a resident fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. FRANCISCO VELEZ Deputy District Chief Chicago Fire Department Velez grew up in Humboldt Park and is a 25-year-veteran of the Chicago �ire �epartment� the second �argest fire department in the country. As deputy district chief he assists with the day- to-day operation of the department. In addition to advising the fire commissioner and first deputy on administrative and operational matters, he is also responsible for �udget preparation� staffing� assisting with legal matters and representing the department in meetings with agencies and outside organizations. JESSE VERA Motor Transport Coordinator Norwegian American Hospital Vera has been with the hospital for almost 20 years. His attitude and can-do spirit are contagious. When the Covid-19 pandemic began, he took initiative to increase cleaning for all the transportation vehicles. He speaks in whatever language a patient wants, and he has been educating the community, promoting masks and other PPE, to keep people safe. When he heard that many people were facing food insecurity, exacerbated by the pandemic, he stepped helped deliver food to patients' homes. CARMEN VERGARA Chief Operations Officer Esperanza Health Centers Vergara is the chief operations officer at Esperanza, which operates four clinics on Chicago's southwest side. She grew up in the Little Village neighborhood and earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago. To help prevent healthcare inequity from affecting communities, she �aunched one of the first �ovid� 19 testing sites at the start of the pandemic. She is currently serving on the city's Racial Equity Rapid Response Team, and on the Illinois Latino Covid- 19 Initiative. DR. PAMELA VERGARA- RODRIGUEZ Director of Psychiatry Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center Cook County Health Vergara-Rodriguez is a triple- boarded-certified physician in internal medicine , psychiatry and addiction medicine with more than 15 years' experience as a multi- specialty HIV provider in the Cook County Health System. She has a particular focus on Spanish-speaking groups, and she has led several social service grants to improve the health outcomes of underserved populations including Mexican immigrants, the LGBTQ population, people living with HIV, and people living with substance use disorder and/or mental illness. Iliana Vargas Informing better public school policies Age: 35 Title: Director of Planning and Data Management Organization: Chicago Public Schools In her role as director of planning and data man- agement at Chicago Public Schools, Iliana Vargas leads a team of analysts to evaluate and synthesize data about district enrollment, school choice pat- terns, and demographic trends to help inform dis- trict planning. Prior to this role, Vargas oversaw the creation of school quality and performance measures for over 600 district and charter schools. Her approach to working with data within the public sector draws from her training as an academic researcher at Northwestern University. Additionally, as a first- generation college student and daughter of Mexi - can immigrants, Vargas believes the analysis of data should be done with specific attention to the tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Vargas received a graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation in 2012. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Arizona, where she graduated magna cum laude, as well as a master's degree and doctor - ate from Northwestern University. She credits her success to her parents who nurtured her innate curiosity from a young age, instilled a strong work ethic, and always supported her. Age: 34 Title: President Organization: Elite Welding Corp. Gabriel Velez is president and owner of Elite Welding Corp., a mobile welding repair service. What makes the company dif - ferent is that it's one of very few companies offering mobile weld- ing services to Chicago and Illi- nois. Welding is a craft in high de- mand, and Velez's objective is to spread awareness as it continues to grow. He is excited with all that he and his team have accomplished, and the goal is to add more service vehicles to the area and train more dedicated individuals. With 10 years of experience in this field, he is proud to say Elite Welding is a family business for many years and generations to come. Gabriel Velez Offering help where it's needed

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