Leadership

Mario F. García | Executive Director

Mario García has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management with specializations in organizational development and training. Before taking the Executive Director position at Onward Neighborhood House in 2004, Mr. García led García Consulting where he provided advising and training for 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 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 our former West Town location as a School Age Coordinator, then moved to Site Manager. When Onward House initiated the move from West Town to Belmont Cragin in 2008, she held 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. Darica grew up in nearby Kilbourn Park, and received her B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University.

Administration

Ernesto Delatorre | Director of Finance

Virgil Hernandez | Human Resources Director

Nereida Barreno | Finance Specialist

Early Childhood Education & School Age Leadership

Dr. Kimberly Thier | Director of Special Education & Quality Assurance

LaTanya Cobbins | Education Coordinator

Sofia Aguilar | Site Director

Tashi McIntee Hamilton | Partnership Coordinator

Thelma Tolentino | Health Coordinator

Gabriela Munoz | ERSEA Coordinator

Karim Escobar-Franklin, LSW | Mental Health Specialist

Early Childhood Teachers

Blue Birds 1 — Early Head Start
Hortencia Rubio

Little Bears 1 — Early Head Start
Velda Garza

Little Bears 2 — Early Head Start
Martha Aich
Niurka Fernandez (Teacher Assistant)

Koalas — Head Start
Corinne Cook-Scales
Nancy Avile (Teacher Assistant)
Donna Roman (Paraprofessional)

Butterflies — Head Start
Margarita Acosta
Janice Johnson (Teacher Assistant)

Bumble Bees — Head Start
Sandra Jimenez
Araceli Navarro (Paraprofessional)

Pamela Castro | Mentor Teacher

School Age

Guadalupe Zenon | School Age Group Worker
Lilith Pond | School Age Group Worker
Geselle Garcia | School Age Group Worker

Home Visitors

Carmen Cuevas | Home Visitor
Irma Guzman | Home Visitor
Gracemarie Rosario | Home Visitor

Family Support Workers

Daisy Barrios | Family Support Worker
LaTasha Williams | Family Support Worker

Adult Education

Dianna Calvente | Adult Education Coordinator
Juan Martin | Computer Coordinator

Illinois Welcoming Center (IWC)

IWC—ICIRR Southern Border Asylee (SBA) Shelter Workers

Cristian Villamizar | IWC—SBA Team Lead/Case Manager
Ulises Saldana | IWC—SBA Intake Specialist/Case Manager
Lizet Razo | IWC—SBA Intake Specialist / Case Manager
Jazmin Lazo | IWC—SBA Intake Specialist / Case Manager
Miriam Reyes | IWC—SBA Case Manager
Jasmine Tlatenchi | IWC—SBA Case Manager
Arturo Hernandez | | IWC—SBA Case Manager
Jose Manuel Gomez | IWC—SBA Case Manager

Food Pantry

Philena Price | Food Pantry Coordinator

Development

Emilio Araujo | Director of Development
Joel Stenftenagel | Grant Writer

Support Staff

Maintenance

Norma Salinas Molina | Custodian
George Hayden | Maintenance Worker
Antonio Jimenez Rivera | Maintenance Worker