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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF GADS HILLS CENTER CHEIF EXECUTIVE OFFICER MARICELA GARCÍA
WHEREAS, Maricela García, Chief Executive Officer of Gads Hill Center will be retiring at the end of August, 2024 after 12 years of exceptional leadership and transformative impact for the Chicago non-profit organization; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García came to the U.S. in the early 1980s as a result of the civil war in her country of origin, Guatemala; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García arrived in the U.S. and founded Casa Guatemala to assist newly arriving refugees; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García later co-founded Women for Guatemala, an organization dedicated to building solidarity among women in the U.S. with women’s organizations in Guatemala fighting to uphold human rights; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from Northeastern University and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García was a Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government policy fellow and completed leadership programs at Northwestern University and the Kellogg School of Management, and Harvard Business School; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García served on various boards and councils including the National Immigration Forum, the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Northwestern University Human Rights Center, the Chicago Community Renewal Society, Illinois Partners for Human Services, and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García was the former Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) and founding Executive Director of the Latino Policy Forum; and
WHEREAS, before Gads Hill Center, she was the Director of Capacity Building and Juvenile Justice Policy at Unidos US, formerly the National Council of La Raza; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García has received several fellowships and awards including the Chicago Community Trust Senior Leader Fellowship, the National Hispana Leadership Institute Fellowship, the Leadership Greater Chicago Fellowship, the Latinos of the Southwest Excellence in Leadership Award, and the Casa Guatemala Human Rights Award; and
WHEREAS, in 2001, Chicago Woman Magazine nominated Maricela García as one of the 100 most prominent leaders making a difference in the quality of life of Chicagoans and the Bannerman Fellowship; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García is currently a member of The Chicago Network, an organization for women in senior-level leadership positions in business, government, nonprofits, and academia; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García is the mother of two children who inspire her life, Daniella and Camilo; and
WHEREAS, Maricela García has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit management leading organizations through start-up, turnaround, and expansion.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Cook County Board President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby congratulate Maricela García for her retirement from the Gads Hill Center; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, this text be spread upon the proceedings of this Honorable Body and that a suitable copy of this resolution is presented to Maricela García for her outstanding achievements and work.
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