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Our Team

Archana Thakkar
Program Coordinator
As a program coordinator, Archana's main duties include providing a support system, career counseling, and job readiness training for dislocated workers. Archana is fluent in Gujarati and Hindi. She earned her BA in Psychology at University of Illinois - Chicago and is currently pursuing her masters degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Archana volunteers at The InTouch Crisis Hotline and was a past mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Metropolitan area and Thresholds. An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
Mahatma Ghandi
Brandon Miller
Account Executive, Westchester
Brandon recently joined the CFL Workers Assistance Committee as an Account Executive with the Business Services division at the Westchester location. Brandon possesses professional experience in multiple industries such as automotive retail, banking, and advertising. He actively seeks and builds relationships with companies and organizations to potentially partner with the CFL Workers Assistance Committee. As a Chicago native, Brandon attended North Park University where he obtained his B.S. in Advertising. Brandon is currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Marketing Management from North Park University. “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything”
Diptika Khanal
Program & Impact Coordinator, Chicago
Diptika Khanal began working as a program intern with the CFL Workers Assistance Committee in January 2011. She assists primarily with the Cook County Boot Camp Program and Dislocated Workers Program. Born in Nepal, Diptika first moved to India for high school and then to the United States to obtain a B.S. in Information and Decision Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has volunteered and interned at various organizations including the Career Foundation Program, Nepali American Society, Big Shoulders Fund, and Red Cross Society of Nepal. She is also a recipient of the Cook Country College Teachers Union President Norman G. Swenson Scholarship and a member of the Honors College at UIC. Diptika is fluent in Hindi and Nepali. “The oak tree that you see now was once a nut that stood its ground.”
Anonymous
Dwight E. Battles
Program Coordinator, Chicago
Dwight is the program coordinator for the Engaging Adults in Skills Training Program and Transitional Jobs Project. Prior to joining CFL Workers Assistance Committee,  Dwight worked in several community based organizations including the North Lawndale Employment Network, Faith Inc., and Deer Rehabilitative Services. Dwight earned a B.G.S. in Social Science and an M.B.A. from Roosevelt University (Chicago). "I am motivated by the firm belief that a mind is a terrible thing to waste."
Freddie Fisher
Fiscal & Operations Manager
Freddie is responsible for administration and human resources.  Prior to her current position, for 31 years, she worked for the largest Yellow Pages publisher (R.H. Donnelley; formerly DonTech) as the Accounts Payable and Telecommunications Manager.  Freddie brings more than 25 years of management and budgetary experience. She received the President’s, Chairman’s, and six MVP awards during her tenure at DonTech for innovative and cost savings initiatives she implemented. A native of Blytheville, Arkansas, Freddie attended Harold Washington College in Chicago. "To be successful, we must neither underestimate nor overestimate our own abilities."
Mary B. Gallagher
Executive Director
During her six years as Executive Director, Mary has grown the agency from a single program to a multi-program organization with more than 15 full time employees in two offices and a $3 million budget.   Mary has more than 20 years of workforce development experience, including seven years with DePaul University in various leadership positions; three years as employment director for Mercy Home for Boys and Girls (Chicago); three years as assistant Commissioner for the Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training and five years with the Cook County’s Presidents Office of Employment and Training. Additionally, Mary serves on several workforce boards, including the Workforce Board of Northern Cook County and the Cook County Workforce Board. She earned a M.S. in Public Service from DePaul University (Chicago), with an emphasis on nonprofit management. "Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon comes to pass."
Paul J. Meyer
Judy Leung
Program Manager, Chicago
Judy began her career with CFL Workers Assistance Committee in 2005 as an intern and was promoted to Program Manager for all Chicago-based programs, including the dislocated worker program and transitional jobs project. Judy thoroughly enjoys working with her customers and feels immensely proud when they obtain employment, set new goals or complete training. She is an active member of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Smile Train and World Vision.  

Judy graduated from DePaul University (Chicago) with a B.A. in Political Science and a M.A. in Public Services Management. "I was sad because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet."
Indian proverb
Katherine Layden
Program Coordinator, Westchester
Katherine recently joined the CFL Workers Assistance Committee as a Program Coordinator at the Westchester location. Katherine was second author on an article entitled, "Aging Workers Perceptions on Opportunities for Professional Reinvention: Implications for Human Resource Development," which was published for the Academy of Human Resource Development's 2011 Americas Conference. She graduated from National-Louis University with a B.S. in Applied Behavioral Sciences; and currently pursues an M.S. in Community Counseling from National-Louis University. "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."
Maya Angelou
Michelle Lydigsen
Program Coordinator, Westchester
A Chicago area native, Michelle joined CFL Workers Assistance Committee as an intern in 2008 and was promoted to Program Coordinator, where she seeks to make a difference in her clients' lives by helping them achieve their professional and personal goals. Michelle also provides marketing support to the organization, writing for Working Connections, cflwac.org and other materials.

Michelle earned a B.A. in Communication Studies, with a concentration in Business Administration, from the University of Iowa. "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."
Walt Disney
Samantha Martin
Program Specialist, Westchester
Samantha is the Program Specialist for the CFL Workers Assistance Committee. She graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a B.A. in Sociology. Samantha was previously an intern with the Chicago Federation of Labor since 2007. As an intern, she assisted with event management for affiliates in various political affairs and fundraisers. She is looking forward to assisting ambitious, hardworking job seekers through the Dislocated Workers Program. "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sammi Ma
Program Coordinator, Chicago
Sammi joined the Chicago Federation of Labor Workers Assistance Committee in 2011. She was born and raised in Hong Kong, China, then moved to the U.S. about ten years ago. Sammi earned a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She is fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin, and has also obtained the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate from the TEFL Institute. Sammi is actively involved with multiple volunteer-based non-profit organizations, one being SponsorLove Community Service Foundation, where she assists with strategic planning and event coordinating. Sammi is actively involved with multiple non-profit organizations, including STLF (Students Today Leaders Forever). At STLF, she volunteers as a counselor planning and facilitating community service tours around the country for high school and college students. Sammi's passion for volunteering was recently honored with the UIC Chancellor’s Student Service and Leadership Award. "People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed."
Samuel Johnson
Tricia Hyland
Marketing & Development Manager
Tricia joined CFL Workers Assistance Committee in 2011 as Marketing and Development Coordinator. In launching an internal marketing department, she has worked to develop a social media strategy, develop partnerships with like-minded organizations, and strengthen media and communications efforts. Previously, she worked as a Communications Coordinator with a local Chicago trade association and also has extensive project management and freelance writing experience. Tricia earned her B.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and spent a semester abroad in Budapest, Hungary. She is a volunteer with the Chicago Conservation Corps and Unicef. "Those with the privilege to know, have a duty to act."
Albert Einstein
Eileen Vesey
Program Manager, Westchester
Eileen joined the agency in 2005 as a Program Coordinator at the Chicago office and now manages the Dislocated Worker Program at the Westchester office.  Prior to joining CFL Workers Assistance Committee, Eileen worked at Chicago Public Schools, Lakeshore Athletic Club, and coached youth soccer teams. She began her career at the Livonia Family YMCA of Metro Detroit, where she managed the largest Sports & Recreational department in the YMCA Association, with more than 2,500 participants and 150 volunteers.  A native Chicagoan, Eileen earned a B.A. in International Relations from Michigan State University.  She volunteers with local organizations, including Chicago Cares. "Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."
Louisa May Alcott