The Carole Robertson Center is committed to the notion that the people served are the best decision makers for community-based program development.

As an agency serving a community generally characterized as limited in resources, the extraordinary spirit, dedication, and energy individuals contribute in settings which value their involvement is amazing. We have thrived under the leadership of our constituent-led Board of Directors. Agency by-laws require a governing majority comprised of constituent representation (parents of the Center’s children, former parents, or alumni of the Center’s programs). Typically, between 70% and 85% of the governing Board of Directors is comprised of Constituent Representatives, whom are elected at large by the corporate membership. This very unique governance structure ensures that the Center’s constituency has the dominant voice in agency growth and development and that it maintains its focus as a family-centered and community-driven agency.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Board of Directors include: planning the long range future of the Center, assuring adequate financial support for the organization, providing leadership in fundraising, adopting policies to govern the affairs of the Center, evaluating program and organizational effectiveness, and employing and supervising a qualified Chief Executive Officer to manage daily operations and implement the goals and objectives of the agency.

Membership

The Board of Directors elects Community Representatives when such vacancies arise. Terms of membership are two years. Membership requires participation in at least one committee, fulfillment of an annual fundraising commitment, and attendance at meetings monthly, special events, and Board retreats. We look for those with an interest in community-based work, early childhood education, youth development, parent leadership, and non-profit management.

For more information, contact Maritza Martinez, Director of Resource Development, at 312.243.7300 ext. 226 or martinezm@crcl.com.

2013 Board of Directors

President

Dave Robertson, Community Representative
Treasury Strategies

Vice-President

Jewerystine Tribble, Constituent Representative
St. Anthony Hospital

Secretary

Maribel Estrada, Constituent Representative
Lawndale Christian Health Center

Treasurer

Scott Payant, Community Representative
Long Island Power Authority

Members

John Blasi, Community Representative
Accenture

Dianne Robertson Braddock, Robertson Family Representative

Mellodie Brown, Constituent Representative
Sherman School of Excellence

Mara Castillo, Constituent Representative
Prosser Career Academy

Caryn Curry, Community Representative
Mental Health America of Illinois

Jamellah Braddock Ellis, Robertson Family Representative
Verizon

Marie E. Hardy, Constituent Representative
Chicago Public Library

Naressa Jones, Constituent Representative
Gentiva Odyssey HealthCare

Margaret Kibaya, Constituent Representative
University of Illinois at Chicago

Jim Sifuentes, Community Representative
St. Anthony Hospital

Eva Torres, Constituent Representative
Mathematica Policy Research

Ex-Officio

Gail Nelson, Chief Executive Officer
Carole Robertson Center for Learning