News

IAHSE Announcement on Elections

The following candidates are the nominees for the upcoming IAHSE’s board of directors. Below is their biography and qualifications as a nominee.

I served as the League of United Latin American Citizens’ Midwest Vice-President, which covered various Midwestern states. Prior to that, I held the title of LULAC of Illinois State Director. I have worked closely with the ACLU, MALDEF, AIPAC and other national organizations.

I was the IAHSE President for 3 years starting in 2003, when I introduced and encouraged the Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus to advocate strongly to passing the Hispanic Employment Plan Bill which passed and was signed by the Governor. I advocated for the creation of the Latino Unity Day in the Illinois state capitol, which is now in its 10 th year. Currently, I am on the Boards of the Illinois Migrant Council, SER Jobs for Progress, Illinois Association of Agencies and Community Organizations on Migrant Affairs, Casa Club Yuriria, The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, (Latino Board) and the Chicago Day of the Child Parade Committee. I was the past President of the Chicago Bilingual Nurse Consortium and Board Member of the Heartland Alliance.

I will be a contributing member of the IAHSE Board of Directors given my current and past experience as a Illinois state employee for 34 years. Currently I am the DCFS Chief of the Office of Latino Services, a Child Welfare statewide position. Where I serve as a principal policy-formulating administrator, overseeing all Latino services and related issues for the state agency. I provide advice and guidance to the DCFS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Deputy Director on matters involving Latino services; acting as the liaison to various entities, such as, governmental, media, philanthropic, foreign consulates and community leaders. Currently, I work with various Latino coalitions through out the state of Illinois.

I was the Past President of IAHSE, Vice-President of Fraternal Order Of Police Corrections Lodge 263
Past Worshipful Master of Ashby B. Carter # 138 Free And Accepted Masons
Member of Knights of Columbus Council 5573 Plainfield, Il.
& Former Executive Board Member of AFSCME Local 1866.

My name is Jose M. Prado, I am currently a Senior Parole Agent for
the Illinois Dept. of Corrections. I started my career as a state employee on
September 21,1998 when I got hired to work at Joliet Correctional Center as
a Bilingual Correctional officer. Shortly after, I joined the Illinois
Association of Hispanic State Employees and was elected to serve as a board
member in 2003. In 2008, I was elected Vice President. In 2010, I became
President of the association and completed 2 terms.

I joined the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Corrections Lodge # 263
where I served in several capacities within the lodge; 2000- 2002
institutional trustee; 2002- 2008 district trustee; 2008-2016 secretary; 2016-
2018 1 St . Vice President. I also served in the FOP memorial committee. This
committee was instrumental in being able to get the names of Correctional
Officer Tracy Cooper and parole agent Ellaine Aiuwimu at the Police
Memorial wall in Washington D.C. in 2011. I was given the honor to escort
their families at the memorial while they were receiving the medal of the
ultimate sacrifice. I currently serve on the Disaster response Unit as District
3 Supervisor covering the northern region.

I also served as member of AFSCME Local 1866 Executive Board. I
held the positions of trustee, 2004-2006, union steward 2006-2016 and chief
steward 2016-2019. I currently serve on the staff wellness response team as
a District 1 Parole Coordinator and I’m a certified instructor able to teach the
Corrections fatigue to fulfillment course to correctional employees.
I’m a person that cares and puts the needs of people first before mine.
I’m someone that you could count on when needed. I have notice that we
currently do not have anyone on IAHSE board representing IDOC. I think
that I’m qualified to be on the board again because of my experience and my
willingness to make the best and make an organization succeed.

Throughout my career in corrections, I have joined several
organizations that have assisted me in the personal as well in the
professional manner. Such associations are as follows; Ashby B. Carter #
138 PHA Masonic lodge, where I served as a Worshipful Master in 2010. I
think that I could be an asset because of my experience and willingness to
move forward and make a difference. I would greatly appreciate your consideration.

Ivan L. Barajas was born and raised in the Chicago neighborhood of Pilsen. Son of immigrant parents from Michoacán Mexico; he is the oldest of three. Ivan graduated class president from Benito Juarez High School where he developed leadership skills that have helped him navigate his career path.

Ivan began his professional career working as a teller for Metropolitan Bank and Trust. He rapidly excelled through the ranks. By his third year he became assistant manager at the bank’s Little Village branch. One year later he was promoted to Manager- AVP, and was tasked with managing two facilities in Cicero. While managing these offices in Cicero, Ivan was asked to participate on various town boards and organizations. He became involved with the Cicero Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Hispanic Business Association. Through his tireless work, he earned the respect of his colleagues, and was nominated to the executive board as treasurer and ultimately president in both organizations. Ivan is currently employed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), as the Northern Recruitment Manager. He works in the Office of Diversity, Recruitment and Outreach, as a recruiter for Civil Engineers and Engineer Technicians. Ivan’s main task is to conduct veteran outreach throughout the state to assist veterans by providing information on the hiring process at IDOT for Highway Maintainers.

Aside from recruiting and conducting outreach, Ivan also assists with various other projects that fall within this office, but his all-time favorite is participating in Engineer Academies where IDOT reaches out to underutilize communities within the state and exposes young students to engineering education. This is accomplished through various partnerships with schools, organizations and engineering firms.

Ivan is committed to helping others and giving back to his community. He has participated and volunteered in various school functions such as mentoring students, teaching banking, and even being Santa Clause for grammar school students. He holds a bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management from Robert Morris University. When Ivan is not working he enjoys spending time with his two little angels Nicole and Destiny on the golf course or rooting for the Cubbies!!!

I volunteered with the Hispanic Women of Springfield since 2013 in multiple social,
public, and educational events. I also volunteered with the Steering committee with the citizen club in 2021 and 2022 by organizing multiple forums and discussions. I am the president and founder of the Hispanic Women of Springfield and a board member of the Citizen Club of Springfield and a member of the Steering Committee.

My name is Maria Crain, I have worked for the state of Illinois since September of 2010. Currently, I serve Illinoisans as an Administrative Assistant with Environmental Health Services in the Department of Public Health. Originally from Oruro, Bolivia, I moved to the United States in 2000, hold a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Organizational Behavior from Benedictine University, and have been a member of IAHSE since 2016. I am the president and founder of the Hispanic Women of Springfield, a community-based organization that provides a variety of services to the community with emphasis on our Hispanic population. The Hispanic Women of Springfield is a highly collaborative and supportive team, coming together to encourage the growth of our Hispanic Community through a focus on health, education, and unity. Our mission is to bring awareness by educating the central Illinois region about the culture, traditions, and folklore of countries with Hispanic heritage, while striving to equip the community with the tools and guidance to uplift their quality of life. We aim to provide them with a safe and welcoming space where they can seek the solutions rather than challenges. Our services include but are not limited to finding a healthcare access, translation services, driver’s licenses acquisition, school registration, federal aid application assistance, immigration connection, employment, and more.

I am also a board member of the Citizen Club of Springfield and a member of the Steering Committee, and our purpose is to promote public, civic, and cultural welfare through discussion with forums open to the public on issues concerning Springfield resident. As a board member of IAHSE my goal is to increase the hiring of Hispanic/Latino members in all agencies that serve residents of the State of Illinois, increase membership, promotion of Hispanics/Latinos into decision making positions, encourage employment and education of our communities, and advocate for the rights of Latinos.

See attachments below for information regarding IAHSE election process. It includes a Board Nomination Letter from the President, Board of Director Nomination fact sheet and Board Nomination Form. If you have any questions feel free to email us.