People are the Difference
At BUILD, people matter. Young people learn to shape the future, based on their dreams, not their obstacles. They are guided by hard-working adults whose life experiences sound familiar, because 87% of BUILD’s staff reflects the communities and cultures of our youth. We set the bar high and lead by example, putting our values of respect, collaboration, and open communication into everything we do.
Meet our experienced leadership team.
Wanda Rodriguez
Chief Financial Officer
Finance & Administration
Lisa Salas - Executive Assistant
Kevin Parks - Senior Accountant
Eduardo Aguayo-Marquez - Fiscal Manager
Development & Communications
Stephanie Arevalo - Manager of Special Events
Ariana Ibarra - Volunteer Coordinator
Emily Muench - Manager of Foundation & Corporate Relations
Daniel Perez - Manager of Communications & External Relations
Kelsey Teegen - Development Coordinator
Compliance Services
Scott Mengebier - Director of Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
Jamey Makowski - Manager of Program Development & Compliance
Community Services
Juan Villalobos - Director of Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships
Health and Wellness
Jessica Carrillo - Director of Clinical & Community Wellness Programs
Jana Gillespie - Manager of Health & Wellness
Olivia Santiago - Manager of BUILDing Girls 2 Women
Ashley Miller - Manager of Community Support Services
Maricarmen Magana-Sarabia - Lead Health Navigator
Core Programs
Bradly Johnson - Director of Core Programs
Prevention Services
Tonja Robinson-Harris - Prevention Manager
Education Services
Ebonee Shaw - Manager of Education & Support Services
Intervention Services
Martin Anguiano - Manager of Intervention Services
Enrichment Services
Carmen Scott-Boria - Director of Enrichment Services
Ricardo Miranda - Manager of Arts Academy Programs
Mark Thorton - Manager of Sports Programs
Deonna Hart - Manager of Learning and Leadership
Board of Directors
BOARD CHAIR
Siobhan L. Sanders - Nuveen Investments
VICE CHAIRS
Christine Bakalar - BakHome Development, LLC.
TREASURER
Shruti Sekhri - Slalom Consulting
SECRETARY
John A. Nitschke - Dr. Scholl Foundation
MEMBERS
Malaika K. Caldwell - Faegre Baker Daniels LLP
Marlow Colvin - ComEd
Bennie Currie - MBC Financial Strategies
Robert J. Emanuel - Attorney at Law
Matt Fisher - 4th Right Partners
Jin Ivacic - Hyatt Corporation
Amy Kadens - Founder, Share our Spare
Scott Lieber - Willis Insurance
Stephen Miles - Livingstone Partners LLC
Arthur "AJ" Mortega - Gameseed
Paulo Oliveira - Caterpillar, Inc.
James Ramos - City of Chicago, 21st Ward
Jack Segal - Comcast Corporation
*Howard "Bud" Schwarzbach - Vin Chicago, Immediate Past Chair
Patricia S. Spratt - Circuit Court of Cook County
Leila Whitley - Allstate
LIFE BOARD
Steven Abbey - Huntington National Bank
Theodore Cappelen - Clear Candle
Donna Dudley - Retired Distinguished Volunteer
Al Travis - Al Travis & Associates
EMERITUS BOARD
John Blackburn - Standard Bank & Trust Company
Pete Henley - PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
William Housey, Jr. - First Trust Portfolios,
ASSOCIATE BOARD
CHAIR
Brittany Hughes - MB Financial Bank
VICE CHAIRS
Eddy Gonzalez - Breakthru Beverage Group
Caroline Rushmore - News America Marketing
MEMBERS
Terrence Evans - Oakbrook Financial Center
Marco Guerrero - Assistant Director of Advancement at Gary Comer Youth Center
Kiara Harding - Independent Contractor
Cindy La - Asian American Human Service
Jack Magiera- Pariveda Solutions
Mark Nelson - IBM
Sravani Nichanamatlu - McGuireWoods, LLP
Madison O'Connor - Marcus Millichap
Jennifer O'Neill -
Sean Schindl - Kids First Chicago
Gerlisa Shipman - Kids First Chicago
HELP BUILD THE FUTURE!
BUILD’s volunteers are the supportive part of the “village” needed to keep youth safe and allow them to transition from the margins to the mainstream in our city and beyond.