It is with great pleasure and excitement that Enlace Chicago’s Board of Directors announces the appointment of Marcela Rodriguez and Cesar Nuñez as Co-Executive Directors! As Enlace enters this next era of community service, growth, and impact, we are confident that the collaborative leadership of Ms. Rodriguez and Mr. Nuñez will result in an elevation of Enlace’s operational capacity, increase in quality programs and services for the residents of Little Village, making good on our mission to address the most critical needs of our community.
An advancement from their current interim positions, this appointment ensures consistency and continuity in the progress that Marcela and Cesar have demonstrated in leading the organization during the last year of leadership transition and over the past two years of the pandemic. This appointment aligns with Enlace’s values to cultivate leadership within. Building on their personal and familial generational ties to the Little Village community, they will continue to blend their commitment and passion for community with their exceptional professional expertise, ensuring that Enlace continues to be responsive to the current needs of the community while capitalizing on the many new opportunities to come.
Get to know a bit more about Marcela & Cesar
Marcela Rodriguez began working at Enlace in December 2019 as the Director of Finance and Human Resources. She served as Enlace’s Interim Co-Executive Director over the past seven months. With over 20 years of experience, she is an accomplished finance, human resources, and operations manager with an established record of success in stewarding resources of institutions focused on serving the Latinx community. Marcy is committed to ensuring organizational sustainability, operational excellence, community focused strategies, and creating an inclusive, fun, and positive work environment.
Marcela has worked for a wide range of impactful organizations including Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and The Resurrection Project. She holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting from Roosevelt University. Marcela was born in Torreon, Coahuila Mexico and at the age of 7 migrated with her family to the U.S. and settled in Little Village. Raised in Little Village she understands the challenges the community faces. Marcy is driven by her experiences and values and aims to uplift the families in Little Village and inspire future leaders. In this new role, she will be focused on strengthening the community’s access to quality education, access to healthcare, pathway to citizenship, promoting peace and increasing safety of all Little Village residents.
Cesar Nuñez has worn many hats at Enlace Chicago, previously the Little Village Community Development Corporation (LVCDC), over the past 20 years. He is extremely excited to embark on a new journey with Enlace as Co-Executive Director. He first joined LVCDC as a board member and transitioned to a staff member in 2005 as the New Communities Program Organizer. In this role, he supported the implementation of the 2005 Little Village Quality of Life Plan and helped develop new initiatives that are still very active in the community today.
Cesar left Enlace in 2010 and became the 22nd Ward Superintendent for the Department of Streets and Sanitation before he was promoted to District Superintendent. In efforts to remain an active supporter of his community, he rejoined Enlace’s Board of Directors. In 2018, he returned to Enlace as Director of Organizing. He transitioned into the role of Associate Director in 2020. His extensive experience with not-for-profit organizations, as well as his ties to and knowledge of Little Village, served him well in that role.
His family first immigrated to Little Village in 1969 and set roots in the community. Cesar received his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has a certificate in Urban Development from The Great Cities Institute and Chicago Rehab Network at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He most recently participated in the Neighborhood Builders Emerging Leaders 2020 Cohort and the Latino Policy Forum’s Multicultural Leadership Academy 2020 Cohort.
Why Co-Executive Directors
It was with great consideration, intentionality, and a thorough analysis of best practices, that Enlace’s Board of Directors decided on a Co-Executive Director structure. After decades of success, Enlace is faced with a profound opportunity to further deepen its relationship with Little Village residents as an ardent advocate by fighting for change across the city, state, and beyond. With Cesar and Marcela at the helm we plan to increase our operational capacity, strengthen our ability to serve effectively and efficiently, while leveraging critical partnerships to advance our social justice and racial equity agenda. We are absolutely confident that our Co-Executive Directors will add a diversity of ideas and expertise to navigate this new era of growth successfully. We look forward to partnering with them, and you, to realize the potential before us.
Enlace Board of Directors
Maurice Sone
Board-Chair
Vanessa Uribe
Vice Chair
Rocky Lopez
Treasurer
Juana Ballesteros
Secretary
Veronica Gonzalez
Susan Avila
Chris Dons
Rudy Lozano Jr.
Carla Peralta
