|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STAFF & BOARD OF DIRECTORS Español
STAFF
Patrick Brosnan 
Patrick Brosnan has worked at BPNC since 1999 and is the Executive Director. Patrick has been involved in organizing various campaigns for social justice and policy change. He is interested in working to create a holistic vision for social change in our community that includes everyone’s opinion and viewpoint. Patrick received his B.A. from the University of Michigan. Patrick also works closely with the community schools, the Greater Southwest Chamber of Commerce, the Grassroots Collaborative, and the Federation for Community Schools.
Marlene Cervantes 
Marlene Cervantes has been working at BPNC since October of 2006. She works as a Resource Coordinator for the Kelly High School/BPNC Community School. Marlene likes working and interacting with students, staff, faculty, administration, and BPNC staff. She likes the fact that she gets to work with students after school and that she has the freedom of designing new programs. During her college years she ran a program called La Escuelita, which was a youth program that worked with Latinos from the community and brought them to campus to expose them to the college environment and to provide them with support and resources. Marlene received a B.A. in 2006 in sociology and anthropology from Carleton in Northfield, Minnesota. Marlene works closely with the Dream Act club, which is currently working to raise $20,000 for a scholarship and to pass the Dream Act. She also put on a show with the Drama Club with one act skits and held a soccer tournament with the Dream Act club. Marlene is excited to put on more events and work to expand the community school.
Kimberly Drew 
Kimberly Drew has been working at BPNC since 2001. Kim began as an organizer focused on housing but is now the Associate Director. Kim enjoys working with community leaders. She is also very interested in broader policy solutions particularly around issues related to gentrification. The reason for this is because she wants the community leaders who have put so much into the neighborhood to benefit from the improvements. Kim went to undergrad at Kalamazoo College and majored in human development and social relations and is currently enrolled at Northwestern University working towards a master’s degree in public policy administration.
Elba Gonzalez 
Elba Gonzalez has been working at BPNC since September of 2006. Elba works here as the Administrative Assistant. Elba enjoys working with the public and working with the entire staff. Before working for BPNC, Elba has had numerous experiences working with the public. She has worked for a naturalization office of immigration, a recycling company, an insurance company and was also in public sales, giving her much experience in public relations. Elba grew up in the Brighton Park Community and attended Northeastern University where she received her associate degree. On the side, Elba enjoys taking peaceful walks, enjoys all kinds of music, loves to read, and enjoys spending time with her daughters.
David (dahveed) Pintor 
David is the Substance Abuse Prevention Community Organizer. He works for SGA Youth & Family Services in partnership with BPNC but has been involved at BPNC since December of 2006. He coordinates a federally funded Drug-Free Coalition, Families Against Drugs in Area 58 (FAD 58), to prevent the use and abuse of drugs among the youth of Brighton Park. David, a member of a Latino Community, who has a passion for social justice wants to see change in his community and knows that there is lack of resources, but also knows that there is potential and feels that we often underestimate ourselves. He feels that we need to guide our community to find their self power to speak up and act for their rights. David’s analysis of what it means to be a Latino in the U.S. began while still young realizing the difference between the way we live and the way they live. It wasn’t until high school that he began to define that reality into privilege the white, rich, heterosexual, male majority have over people of color and how that standard affects the way we function in the U.S. David went to Carleton College and majored in Sociology and Anthropology. On the side he studies improvisational acting at the Second City Conservatory and volunteers at Kelly High School as a drama Coach. He also enjoys photography, playing guitar and writing poetry.
Andres Rojas 
Andres Rojas has been working at BPNC since April of 2006. He works as a lead organizer for BPNC. Andres enjoys working with community members in workshops and having one on one conversation with community leaders and likes the personal connections he has developed with leaders beyond just work related issues. Andres was originally born in Chile and moved to the U.S. when he was only five. He grew up in Long Island NY and went to the University of Scranton in Northeast Pennsylvania. He majored in international studies and minored in Spanish and political science. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay from 2001 to 2003, where he worked with community members to construct a running water system and various other projects. Andres feels that growth and change begins with the trust between people. He is very involved with two women’s groups in the community and feels privileged to be accepted into their groups. He also enjoys his connection with the youth of BPYC and works at being an adult ally for the youth of the GSA.
Raquel Santiago 
Raquel Santiago has been working at BPNC since September of 2006. She works as a Resource Coordinator at the Burroughs/BPNC Community School. Raquel enjoys meeting and talking to parents. She worked as a site coordinator for the 21st Century community learning center at an elementary school in Evanston, IL for two years and also worked at a community mental health center in Humboldt Park. She went to the University of California and majored in psychology. Raquel has also volunteered her time at a domestic violence organization called Casa Segura. She is excited to see how the community school will grow and develop in the Burroughs Community and in Brighton Park. In her spare time, Raquel enjoys crafts and Roller Derby.
Jamie Wichman 
Jamie Wichman has worked as the VOYCE (Voices of Youth in Chicago Education) Youth Organizer for BPNC since April of 2007. She has worked with elementary, middle, and high school youth in after-school community programs in Milwaukee, Madison, and rural Costa Rica for several years and most recently as a bilingual resource specialist for the Madison Metropolitan School District. There, she was an advocate for predominantly Latino high school youth, but also worked closely with a diverse group of immigrant students in English as a Second Language programs. Her organizing work has always been underground, pushing for social change in an informal capacity through her job experiences as a youth worker. Jamie has worked in solidarity with youth and their parents as an ally in changing school policies to make for a more just environment for immigrant students and their families. At BPNC, she facilitates a group of Latino high school students, as they engage in the VOYCE collaborative’s youth-led participatory action research to ultimately increase graduation rates and college enrollment throughout the city of Chicago. Jamie graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with two Bachelors degrees in Journalism and Spanish and a Certificate in Global Cultures.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
HOME | ABOUT US | STAFF | PROGRAMS | ORGANZING | LINKS | NEWS | CONTACT |
©2007 Brighton Park Neighborhood Council | Disclaimer | Site Design: Sara Malloure |
