SASHA ONGTENGCO | CHAIR +

Sasha Ongtengco started her social impact career in 2011 with Cara Chicago, a nonprofit focused on breaking the cycle of generational poverty through a holistic approach that includes quality training, job placement and retention support. In 2013, Cara Chicago launched a mission-driven staffing firm called Cara Connects. As its director, Sasha cultivates a rich network of resources and community relationships to increase the quality of life for motivated job seekers impacted by poverty in Chicago. Cara Connects has worked with NWC since 2016 to bring employment services to Chicago's northwest side communities, most recently through a unique co-location initiative that features a dedicated Staffing Account Manager at the NWC.

Over the years, Sasha developed a deep admiration for NWC's commitment to effectively listen and respond to the needs of Belmont Cragin's residents. To serve on the Board of Directors is a great honor and a deeper expression of investment in the local community, where Sasha seeks to amplify NWC's voice and influence among larger networks. She is most excited about the launch of the NWSCDC and envisions more companies choosing to bring employment and opportunity to the northwest side. In her free time, Sasha enjoys the challenge of adventurous travel with a "less is more approach" - she's known for taking multi-week trips overseas with nothing more than a backpack.

DR. ANGELA FONTES | VICE CHAIR +

Dr. Angela Fontes is the Director of the Behavioral and Economic Analysis and Decision-making (BEAD) program area at NORC at the University of Chicago. At NORC, she oversees academic, foundation, and commercial research focused on economic decision-making and consumer behavior. She is the Principal Investigator on several projects, including the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct investor protection research.

Angela's personal research centers on retirement preparedness and methodologies for the collection of household finance data. Her research can be found in journals such as The Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, Health Affairs, The Journal of Family and Economic Issues, The Journal of Women, Politics and Policy, The International Journal of Transportation Research, and Financial Counseling and Planning.

In addition, Angela is adjunct faculty at Northwestern University where she teaches graduate courses in behavioral economics and public policy, policy analysis, and predictive analytics. She holds a Ph.D. in Consumer Behavior and Family Economics with a minor in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

TOM NASET | TREASURER +

Thomas Naset is a Lead Large Bank Examiner in the Supervision and Regulation Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and is responsible for assessing the safety and soundness of complex banking organizations within the Reserve Bank’s regulatory portfolio. Throughout his time at the Reserve Bank, Thomas has maintained responsibility over a broad range of risk types, horizontal projects, and major supervisory activities. These include legal and compliance risk; litigation risk management; mortgage servicing operations; incentive compensation; implementation of Intermediate Holding Company requirements for Foreign Banking Organizations under the Dodd-Frank Act; corporate governance and enterprise risk management practices; and the issuance and remediation of major enforcement actions. Thomas holds a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law. He is licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois.

Thomas is a lifelong resident of the Chicagoland area. He grew up in the suburb of Naperville, IL and has resided in Chicago since beginning university in 2001.

LAURA TREJO | SECRETARY +

Laura Trejo was born in Mexico, raised in California, and has been a longtime resident of Chicago. She is an arts advocate with over ten years of experience working with small and large organizations in the nonprofit sector. She is currently the Program Director, Cultural Resources at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).

Laura’s past roles include Program Officer at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Assistant Director at the University of Chicago’s Office of Civic Engagement, Manager of Studio & Community Programs at SkyART (formerly South Chicago Art Center), Regional Volunteer Coordinator at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, and Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at Latinos Progresando.

Laura earned an MA in Arts Administration and Policy from the School of the Art Institute and a BA in Studio Art & Art History and a Minor in Digital Art from the University of California, Irvine. Laura is the Chair of the Auxiliary Board at the National Museum of Mexican Art.

STEVE CLEARY | MEMBER +

Stephen L. Cleary is a principal in Cleary & Associates, Ltd., practicing business and real estate law and licensed in three states. During his legal career he has served as in-house general counsel and held other corporate positions for a number of national retail and franchising companies. Steve also holds an Illinois Managing Broker’s license. In addition to practicing law he is a faculty member at University of Phoenix – Chicago on-ground campus and Roosevelt University’s real estate program. He previously served as the NWC Board President.

DIANA MIRELES | MEMBER +

Diana's involvement with the NWC began as block club leader in 2017, and from there she grew into an active community leader. She is the current president of Blackhawk Park Advisory Council, and is a retired quality engineer for B-Way Packaging. She has lived in Belmont Cragin for more than 45 years, is a Foreman High School graduate, and her first job was right here in the community at Parkview Metal Projects.

Diana is connected to our Avenues for Growth Plan and is involved in our small business community development efforts. She cares most about getting community members involved in making Belmont Cragin a stronger, safer, closer-knit community.

She shared: "My hope for the NWC is to continue being as effective as we are, and to stay in Belmont Cragin championing all of us. Whenever I needed help, this is where I go."

JOSHUA PONCE | MEMBER +

Joshua Ponce is a community leader and serves as a campus pastor of New Life Covenant Church in the Northwest side of Chicago. He has lived in Chicago all of his life in the Humboldt Park and Logan Square communities. Joshua and his wife moved to the Belmont Cragin area in 2016 and currently are residents and leaders in the community.

Joshua first learned about the NWC through a pastor who was heavily involved with the organization. As a board member he brings the opportunity to engage with the community. His hope for NWC is to see the organization as a leading champion in the community promoting healthy, growing relationships.

TOM BUGIELSKI | MEMBER +

Having grown up in the community, Tom Bugielski is humbled to serve Belmont Cragin as a dedicated NWC board member. “It’s important to give back to the place that shaped the person I am today,” he says. Tom is inspired by our mission to respond to the needs of the community, and he approaches his work with NWC and his professional work with a similar attitude.

As the President and the Chief Operating Officer of Republic Bank of Chicago, Tom remains committed to strengthening the communities the bank serves. Tom emphasizes the significance of a collegial approach both as the President of the bank and also as a board member. This focus on teamwork and creating an inclusive atmosphere allows communities to thrive.

Prior to joining Republic Bank of Chicago in 2015, Tom served as the Managing Director Head of Retail Banking at Private Bank. Tom’s long history in banking gives him a unique perspective on how a community bank and the people it serves should work together to enhance the neighborhood.

Additionally, Tom was a Director and Chairman at the Illinois Bankers Association and served as a member of the State Banking Board. Tom holds a finance degree from St. Joseph’s and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

ZAIR MENJIVAR | MEMBER +

Zair Menjivar is an impassioned lifelong Belmont Cragin resident, who has worked for the past six years to improve the quality of life in his community. In his current role, Zair works for the non-profit, Equiticity, which works to improve racial equity and transportation infrastructure in the city's North Lawndale community.

He first learned of the Northwest Center in 2017, when him, along with his older brother, joined the Belmont Cragin Youth Leadership Council. In this role, Zair organized around transportation inequities in the community, which saw unprecedented investments in new bike lanes, bike locks, and Divvy bike share stations throughout the past two years.

He is currently entering his third year at UIC as he pursues a Bachelor's degree in political science. In his free time, Zair loves to workout at the gym and ride his bike to the lake.

DINAH TORRES-QUINONES | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR +

Dinah brings over a decade of experience as a nonprofit administrator, having worked at Humboldt Park Health and Northwestern University. Dinah, a proud Chicago native and Puerto Rican Latina born and raised on its Westside, has been forging her own path throughout her professional career. A passionate advocate for health and education equity, Dinah’s vibrant nature and steadfast leadership are at the heart of her purpose-driven work as a nonprofit and healthcare executive.

Dinah’s career began at Northwestern University, where she served for over two decades while gaining expertise in the field of research administration (RA). In 2022, she accepted the call to work alongside Mr. José R. Sánchez, President and CEO of Humboldt Park Health, as the hospital’s first Chief of Staff at a critical time for the hospital who was undertaking a significant capital project, the construction of the first of its kind 45,000 square foot Wellness Center in the Humboldt Park community.

With a master’s degree in Communications from Northwestern University and a doctoral degree in healthcare administration from Virginia University of Lynchburg, Dinah’s strategic approach and attention to detail have allowed her to successfully lead multidisciplinary programs while identifying gaps for marginalized and underserved communities.