Our Team
Senior Leadership Team
Juliana González-Crussi (she/her)
President & CEO
Natalie Zayas (she/her)
Senior Director of Program Operations & Strategy
Paula Cripps-Vallejo (she/her) Director of Development & Communications
To communicate with our Staff, please send an email to frontdesk@cclconnect.org or call 773-342-6210
Staff Team
The CCL team is committed to providing the best coaching and programming to our community.
Housing & Financial Team
Adriana Delgado (she/her)
Bilingual Housing & Financial Coach, Team Lead
John Puga (he/him)
Bilingual Housing & Financial Coach
Cassidy Kuebbeler (she/her)
Housing Resource Specialist
Employment Team
Juanairis Castañeda (she/they)
Bilingual Employment Coach
Rodrigo Perez (he/him)
Bilingual Employment Coach
Resource Development & Outreach Team
Julio Pensamiento (he/him)
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Team Lead
Emma Vijil (she/her)
Bilingual Resource Development Coach
Small Business Team
Jeremy Riegler (he/him)
Director of Small Business EEC
Juan Zamora (he/they)
Bilingual Small Business Coach
Administrative Team
Vanessa Valentin (she/her)
Administrative Assistant & Office Manager
To communicate with our Staff, please send an email to frontdesk@cclconnect.org or call 773-342-6210
Interns
Center for Changing Lives welcomes interns year-round from all academic disciplines and degree programs. Whether you’re studying social work, business, communications, finance, education, nonprofit management, or another field, we offer opportunities to gain hands-on experience while contributing to our mission. Internships can be tailored to align with your academic interests, skills, and professional goals. If you are wanting to do your internship with Center for Changing Lives, please reach out to frontdesk@cclconnect.org or call 773-342-6210.
Board of Directors
Board President:
Bibi Thaibinh Hernandez (she/her)
Entrepreneur
One Stop Beauty Salon & School
John Prueitt (he/him)
Board Vice President
Retired Director
ComED
Ellina Mitchell (she/her)
Board Member
Chicago Public Schools Instructional Coach Vanderpoel Humanities Academy
Bryan Maldonado (he/him)
Board Treasurer
Sponsor Finance Business Development Specialist - BMO Bank
Meghan Jacka (she/her)
Board Secretary
KPMG
Melissa Rosa (she/her)
Board Member
Principal Reskin Elementary-MSD 15