Diane Casas - President
Diane Casas is a Project and Community Outreach Manager for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. She joined IDFPR in March of 2020. She provides educational resources and serves as an advocate for the citizens of Illinois. Diane earned a Bachelor of Arts in Management from Benedictine University. Before joining, the state, she worked in the private sector and has an extensive background in sales and marketing. Diane joined the board in 2023 and currently holds the position of President for IAHSE. A first generation daughter of Mexican immigrants, she is passionate of helping others and advocating for the community.
Edwin Sanchez Molina - Vice President
Edwin is an Upstate Pre-Apprenticeship Grant Manager with the Bureau of Illinois Works in the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). Prior to joining DCEO, Edwin worked for the Illinois State Board of Education Multilingual/Language Development Division. He graduated from Northeastern Illinois University. Before joining the State of Illinois, Edwin gained experience at the City Colleges of Chicago- Wright College. In the past, he has participated in multiple volunteer education associations and contributed to his respective collective bargaining unit.
Edith Feliciano - Treasurer
Edith is an active board member. She was a former Human Resource Specialist for the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Gianni Serrano - Secretary
Gianni Serrano is a Business Employment Consultant with IDHS-Division of Rehabilitation Services. She works with employers to promote disability awareness and increase employment opportunities for job seekers with diverse abilities. Gianni obtained her Bachelors in Sociology from DePaul University and a Master of Social Work from Northeastern Illinois University. She has served as a state employee since 2016.
Rocio Casillas
Rocio Casillas is a Principal Consultant with the Illinois State Board of Education, working as a monitor for the Special Education department. Rocio obtained a Bachelors of Health and Human Sciences and Masters of Science in Advanced Special Education Practices both from Northern Illinois University. She has been a state employee since 2021.
Carlos R. Charneco
Carlos R. Charneco is a retired State Employee with 38 years of state civil service. A graduate from Northwestern University he started his career with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) in 1980 serving in multiple positions including Equal Opportunity Officer. He later worked for Central Management Services as the manager of the Diversity Enrichment Program and at the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity conducting EO compliance review of workforce centers. In 2009 Mr. Charneco was the recipient of the William J. Harris Award, established by National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) to recognize excellence in the field of equal opportunity (EO). He has served as the past President of the Illinois Association of Hispanic State Employees (IAHSE) and past President of the Illinois International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP). Mr. Charneco currently serves as Chair of the State Hispanic Employment Plan Advisory Council.
Maria R. Crain
Maria R. Crain is an Administrative Assistant for Environmental Health Services with the Illinois Department of Public Health. A graduate from Springfield College in Illinois and Benedictine University, she has been a state employee for 13 years. She originally began her state civil career in the Department on Public Health as a switch board operator for the Division of Environmental Health in 2010. Later, she worked in the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Medical Programs as an office specialist. She returned to IDPH where she served as an office specialist in the Division of Health Assessment and Screening before moving on to work in the Division of Long-Term Care Field Operations as an Administrative Assistant. She has been an AFSCME member since 2013 as well as an IAHSE member since 2018.
In addition to her state carrier, she volunteers in multiple organization in Springfield for the betterment of Illinoisans. In 2013, she was one of the founders, and is the current president of the Hispanic Women of Springfield, a community-based organization that strives to promote the health and well-being of the Latino communities in central Illinois. She serves as a board member for the Citizen Club of Springfield since 2021, and is a member of the FBI Springfield Citizens Academy Alumni Association.
Jose J. Lopez
Jose has been a state employee for 35 years. He originally began his career with the state as a public aid caseworker. He served as Special Assistant to the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Secretary and Director of Hispanic/Latino Affairs for four years, and also as the Chief of the Bureau of Latino Relations and Statewide Translations Section under the Department of Public Aid’s Ombudsperson. Additionally, Jose served on the Governor’s Office of New Americans, the State of Illinois’ Latino Family Commission and Central Management Services Hispanic Employment Plan Council. He is currently Chief of the Office of Latino Services, for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. He serves as a policy-formulating administrator overseeing all Latino services and related issues for the agency. He provides advice and recommendations to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Deputy on matters involving Latino services.
Jose’s passion has always been in working with the Latino community where he formerly served as the League of United Latin American Citizens’ (LULAC) Midwest Vice-President, a national civil rights organization and the largest Latino membership organization in the United States. He was also the LULAC State Director for Illinois for four years and Past President of the Illinois Association of Hispanic State Employees. He sits on the Boards of the Illinois Migrant Council, Central States SER, Chicago Bilingual Nurses Consortium and the Chicago Dia de los Niños Parade Committee. He was formerly on the Board of the Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, Por un Barrio Mejor, Midwest Coalition in Defense of the Immigrant, Latinos for a Healthy Illinois, Illinois Association of Agencies and Community Organizations on Migrant Affairs, Catholic Charities of Chicago’s Latino Advisory Committee, and Illinois Association of Healthcare Interpreters
Lubia Suterwala
Lubia Suterwala, MPH (she/her/ella) is a dedicated public health professional with over 10 years of experience in community engagement, public health policy, and advocacy.
She currently serves as the Manager of Community Public Health Outreach in the Office of the Director at the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). She works to engage community groups across Illinois, create strategies and tactics to advance public health messaging, and produce programming that equitably addresses emerging public health issues across the state. Within IDPH, Lubia currently serves as Co-Chair for the Health Equity Council and as the Interim Co-Chair of the IL Community Health Workers Review Board.
Before joining IDPH, Lubia was the Manager of Community Engagement at the Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI). There, she led efforts to expand meaningful community engagement for the department. She served as a Project Manager on the Family Connects Chicago project, served as a qualitative researcher for a joint research project with SUHI and the American Medical Association (AMA), and led a policy analysis project for the Health First Collaborative initiative. Previously, Lubia has worked with community-focused health organizations including the UIC Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships (OCEAN-HP), Rush System for Health, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Mujeres Latinas en Acción, and Instituto del Progreso Latino.
Lubia uses her experiences to inform her work in professional and community spaces. As a public health researcher, Lubia has focused her interests on racial health equity, gender-based and interpersonal violence, immigrant health, and the health of Latine communities across the U.S. She maintains connections to the community by seeking opportunities to serve with organizations whose missions meet focus on underserved communities and currently serves as a Member of the Cook County Health Foundation Associate Board. She has previously served on associate boards across Chicago including the Advisory Council for Women Employed, and the Executive Board for the Young Professionals Advisory Council for Mujeres Latinas en Acción.
Lubia holds degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC): Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Policy and Advocacy (2021), and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology (2011).
Margarita Olmos
Margarita Olmos has been in public service for over 15 years. She began her public service career at her local public library where she developed a series of English and Spanish computer classes for adults. Her state government career experience also includes; the Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Gaming Board, Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Margarita’s public service positions include program development & classroom instruction, state regulatory & administrative procedures, public and administrative policy, human resources & recruitment, program outreach/marketing & event planning, and media & communications. Margarita earned her Bachelors of Arts in English from Northeastern Illinois University.
Jose M. Prado
Jose M. Prado is a Parole Agent for the Dept of Corrections District 1 at the Oakley Office Larrabee South. He has been a member of AFSCME for 25 Years starting in September 1998 when he was hired at Joliet C.C. He was elected to the position of Trustee and later a RC-6 Representative. When Joliet Closed in 2001, he was transferred to Stateville C.C. At Stateville, he served in several capacities within their local. He was a trustee, a RC-6 representative, Steward, and Chief Steward. He traveled to Pennsylvania representing the parole division of AFSCME and assisted the sisters and brothers of the Pennsylvania Dept of Corrections while they were organizing to be represented by AFSCME. He was a member of the negotiations committee and attended 3 contract negotiations. He currently serves as the IDOC Parole Regional Coordinator for Staff Wellness Response Team. Assisting staff in times of need. He is a certified Staff Wellness Specialist of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police serving all the law enforcement community. He is certified by the Desert Waters Outreach Program to train the instructors of the Corrections Fatigue to Fulfillment. (CF2F) workshops being offered to prisons staff. He was elected as the Treasurer for the Illinois Correctional Association in 2022. He is the local secretary for AFSCME Local 3436.
Bylaws
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