Mario F. Garcia, Executive Director

Mario F. García has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management with specializations in organizational development and training. Prior to taking the Executive Director position at Onward Neighborhood House in 2004, Mr. García led García Consulting where he offered advising and training related to board development, team-building, strategic planning and leadership. He has worked with a variety of community based organizations, government agencies, professional associations and local school councils. He is currently a member of Chicago’s Early Childhood Education CEO Roundtable, and a board member for the ACLU of Illinois. 

Mr. García was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala and speaks fluent English and Spanish. He has a B.S. in Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago and an M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Illinois State University.

Darica Charles, Program Director

Darica Charles has been with Onward Neighborhood House since 2005 and has held roles with increasing responsibility across multiple Onward House programs. She started in the classroom at the former West Town location as a School Age Coordinator, then Site Manager. When Onward House initiated the move from West Town neighborhood to Belmont Cragin, she took roles as Special Projects Manager, then Director of Youth & Community Services. In 2018, Ms. Charles was promoted to her current role as Program Director where she oversees the planning and implementation of Onward House’s services.

Prior to working at Onward House, Ms. Charles worked as a Kindergarten Teacher/Site Director for Mary Crane Center. Ms. Charles received her B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University.