Mary B. Gallagher, Executive Director
marybgallagher@cflwac.org

Mary has over fifteen years experience in workforce development and community service sector and is entering her second year as Executive Director of the CFL-WAC. Mary’s workforce development experience includes, but is not limited to: five years as director for DePaul’s Office of Applied Innovations and two years as operations manager; three years as employment director for Mercy Home for Boys and Girls; and three years as assistant commissioner for the Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training. Ms. Gallagher serves on several workforce boards, including the Workforce Board of Northern Cook County and the Cook County Workforce Board. She has a Master’s of Science in Public Service from DePaul University, with an emphasis on nonprofit management.

Kristen Roberts, Associate Director
robertskr@cflwac.org

Kristen has ten years experience in the nonprofit sector, working as a case worker, job developer and program manager. Prior to joining the CFL-WAC, Kristen was Associate Director and Program Manager for the Government Assistance Program at DePaul University. She obtained a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Truman State University and a M.S. in Public Service Management from DePaul University. Kristen volunteers for numerous organizations including Alternatives, Inc., where she serves on the board of directors.

Judy Lai- Program Coordinator, Dislocated Workers
laiju@cflwac.org

Judy joined the Chicago Federation of Labor Workers Assistance Committee in March of 2005 as a student intern. She later happily joined the CFL-WAC team as a full-time Program Coordinator. Judy received her Bachelor of Arts from DePaul University in Political Science and continued to earn her Masters of Science degree also at DePaul in Public Service Management. Judy is fluent in Cantonese and can speak conversational Japanese and Mandarin. Her goal at CFL-WAC is to make a positive impact on her customers and work hard to place them in jobs which will give them a strong sense of security and achievement.

Sonia Torres- Program Coordinator, Dislocated Workers
torress@cflwac.org

Sonia has three years experience working with the Workforce Investment Act programs. She previously worked for the Cook County President’s Office of Employment Training. Currently, Sonia is pursuing an associate degree in Business Management at Morton College. As Program Coordinator, Sonia provides assistance to dislocated workers with job readiness skills and re-employment.

Christina De La Rosa- Program Coordinator, Dislocated Workers
delarosac@cflwac.org

Cristina grew up on the Southwest Side of Chicago near Midway Airport. She graduated with a BS in Political Science and is currently studying at the University of Illinois-Chicago for a Master's degree in Urban Planning with an focus on Community Development. She completed an internship for the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, which focuses on voter registration. She also started the non-profit group Serás for high schoolers which focuses on higher education. It's based in Little Village, a neighborhood in Chicago. This group is important because according to the latest surveys only 3% of students graduating from the Chicago Public School system will graduate with a college degree. Cristina has worked for CFL WAC for a year. She works with MOWD and is the Program Coordinator of 1S, the rapid response unit of CFL WAC. Cristina speaks fluent Spanish.

Eileen Vesey- Program Coordinator, Dislocated Worker
veseye@cflwac.org

Originally from Chicago, Eileen attended Michigan State University and obtained a BA in International Relations. Eileen began her career working for the YMCA of Metro Detroit and worked there for 10 years in a variety of capacities from membership to programming. Eileen moved back to Chicago and worked for a year and a half with the Chicago Public Schools as a Special Education Teacher Assistant before starting at the CFL Workers Assistance Committee.

Ticia Smith- Program Coordinator, Dislocated Workers
tmsmith@cflwac.org

Ticia served 8 years as a member of the OH Air National Guard; she served during Desert Storm and received the National Defense medal. Ticia has also received the Outstanding Airman of the Year and Chamber of Commerce Award. While serving in the OHANG she received her BA from Lourdes College. Ticia has diverse work experience: Human Resources Training Dept. at Owens Corning headquarters and retail/banking management. Ticia volunteers for many local agencies including Howard Brown Health Center and Equality Illionis.

Kerry Doyle- Program Coordinator, Dislocated Workers
doylek@cflwac.org

Kerry joined the CFL-WAC in June of 2005. She became a Program Coordinator of the Dislocated Workers Program after graduating from Northeastern Illinois University with a political science degree with a concentration in international relations and double minoring with Spanish and Linguistics.

Mary Burford- Program Coordinator, Dislocated Workers
burfordm@cflwac.org

Mary interned with Workers Assistance Committee during the summer of 2006 before completing her final year at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. After graduating May 2007 on the dean’s list with a B.A. in Latin American Studies, Mary rejoined WAC as a program coordinator in the summer of 2007. She worked as a research assistant at Smith College and spent her junior year abroad in the Dominican Republic. While at Smith College, Mary was active on workers’ rights campaigns not only in the local area but also abroad. She served on the Soft-Drink Advisory Committee which decided to preclude Coca-Cola from distribution on campus in solidarity with a world-wide boycott called for by Colombian unionists. Also, she worked closely with IBEW Local 7 on an effort to contract union labor exclusively on new construction projects at Smith.

Manuel Rodriguez- Program Coordinator, Dislocated Workers
rodriguezm@cflwac.org

Manny graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Business Administration and an interdisciplinary minor in Latina/o Studies. During his time at the University of Illinois, Manny was dedicated to increasing the recruitment and retention of minority students at the Urbana-Champaign campus. He served on the chancellor’s committee on Latina/o affairs and was a co-founder and treasurer for the Multicultural Youth Conference, an event focused on exposing minority students between the grades of 7-12 to the university. Manny continues to be involved in his community and serves on the Auxiliary Board of Alternatives Inc.

Freddie Fisher- Office Manager
freddiefisher@cflwac.org

Freddie serves as office manager of the CFL-WAC.