Celena Roldán-Moreno began her tenure at Erie in 2001 as the Social Worker and Disabilities Coordinator and then became Director of Child Care in 2006. She brings with her notable and exemplary experience as a leader in the Latino community. Not only has she advocated on behalf of working families, but she has also worked with many elected officials throughout Chicago and the State of Illinois, as well as members from the U.S. Congress to ensure that working families are given equal opportunities for child care and career enhancement. Celena was selected to serve on Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Education Transition team, the Mayor’s Early Childhood Task Force and also as one Leadership Greater Chicago fellow in 2011, participating in an intensive leadership training and partnership-building program that examines some of the key issues facing the Chicago metropolitan area. In 2008, Celena was selected as the Erie House Emerging Leader for the Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Leadership Program with 90 other emerging leaders from organizations nationwide that received the 2008 Bank of America Neighborhood Builder Award. Additionally, Celena has been an eight-year member on the advisory board of the Inspiration Corporation - a nonprofit organization that helps people who are affected by homelessness and poverty - improve their lives and increase self-sufficiency through the provision of social services, employment training, placement and housing. As a previous full time board member, Celena helped to facilitate the planning, organization and final completion of one of the first non-profit business mergers in Chicago. Commitment to Service Dedicated to the community, Celena is also involved with a number of other programs, including the following: Illinois Action for Children, Board Member Erie Elementary Charter School, Board Member Chicago Coalition for Site Administered Child Programs, Co-chair Illinois Department of Human Services’ Child Care Advisory Council, Member McCormick Early Childhood Policy Fellows, Member Early Childhood “Acuerdo” of the Latino Policy Forum, Member Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola, Advisory Board Member National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Midwest Member Delegate Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Member And Celena’s commitment doesn’t stop there, as she has made a number of public speaking appearances as a panelist for the following events: Voices for Illinois Children Kids Count Symposium, "Building Better Lives for Generations of Illinois Children” Latino Policy Forum symposium on Latino Early Care and Education, "Transforming Early Learning: Educational Equity for Young Latinos" University of Chicago Chapin Hall's Thursday's Child Seminars, "Location, Location, Location: Combating Urban Poverty through Place-Based Initiatives" She has also been quoted in the Chicago Tribune, Hoy and Extra, as well has appearing three times on Comcast Newsmakers and most recently on ABC 7’s “Chicagoing” with Bill Campbell. Education Celena holds a Master's degree in Early Childhood Administration from National Louis University, as well as a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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