Staff

Executive Director

As Lakeside CDC's Executive Director, Brian White brings an innate curiosity about community development and a strong record of activism on behalf of low income residents, diverse communities, and social justice.

Prior to joining Lakeside CDC, Brian was also Director for Development at the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities, a nationally recognized fair housing organization. Brian was principally involved in advocacy, community organizing, leadership development training, and fundraising.

Brian has developed education and organizing programs covering fair housing, zoning and land use, and municipal code enforcement. In 2004, working with the New Alliances Task Force, a project of the FDIC and the Mexican Consulate in Chicago, Brian helped design a model mortgage product to help immigrant first-time homebuyers. Brian was also a coordinator of the Chicago region's first Immigrants Fair Housing Roundtable and helped organize the first ever Summit on Human Relations in Lake County, IL.

At Lakeside CDC, Brian is responsible for developing programs, guiding advocacy and research efforts, and raising funds to support agency programs and operations. Among research and advocacy projects he has originated or directed are the Community Housing Audit, Partners for Rogers Park's renter survey, a survey of conditions on Western Avenue in West Ridge, and the 49th Ward Rental Improvement Fund. Brian designed and implement Lakeside's community association training program and has been involved in developing and expanding other programs for renters, homeowners, and homebuyers. Under his direction, Lakeside has grown into a comprehensive and HUD-approved housing agency assisting more than 700 residents per year with different housing issues.

Brian holds a Master's Degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a resident of Rogers Park where he and his wife are raising 2 young children. Among his numerous community activities, Brian is a volunteer with the Warren Park Youth Baseball Association and is a principal organizer of the Rogers Park Metra Community Garden.

Rental Housing Advocate

Bibian Guevara serves as Rental Housing Advocate at Lakeside, where she is responsible for helping coordinate agency advocacy and direct-service efforts for low-and moderate income renters in the greater Roger Park area, including Lakeside's involvement in Partners for Rogers Park, as well as coordinated activities with other housing agencies.

Bibian is a native of Colombia, who has worked with organizations concerned with immigrant rights, citizenship, and education. While in Colombia, she worked to reform different practices within the fashion industry. Since coming to Chicago, she has worked on citizenship and immigrant rights efforts with Organization of the North East, Centro Romero, and Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugee Rights. Bibian is also the former president of Colombia Vive Chicago, an organization that helps women, in Colombia and Chicago, rebuild the social, cultural and economic webs that have been damaged by the processes of displacement and migration. Through her work in those organizations, Bibian has gained expertise in the planning and implementation of community outreach, education, and direct service activities.

Bibian lives in Edgewater on Chicago's Far North Side.

Community Housing Specialist

Julio is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he received his BA in Urban and Regional Planning. Prior to joining Lakeside, he was the Housing Advocate for the Latino Policy Forum, where he worked with regional and neighborhood housing groups on affordable housing and community development issues. Julio also completed two summer internships at the Congress for the New Urbanism, a national urban planning organization located in Chicago, which contributed to his interest in grassroots community development planning.

As Community Housing Specialist, Julio will coordinate Lakeside’s Citywide Resource Center program, through which the agency provides education and technical assistance services to Chicago condominium owners and association leaders. He will also work with housing organizations and industry groups and contribute to agency research, analysis, and policy advocacy concerning community association topics at the state and local levels.

Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator

Patrick Nolan serves as volunteer and outreach coordinator, helping recruit and mobilize volunteers and organize opportunities to promote greater awareness of Lakeside in the communities it serves. As lead staff on the 2010 Year of Service Campaign, Patrick has increased more than doubled the involvement of volunteers with Lakeside in 2010. Patrick is a junior at Loyola University in Chicago, where he is pursuing a major in philosophy with an emphasis on social justice. This past summer, Patrick volunteered to coordinate volunteers in Belize, where he organized a library and helped build several new schools. Patrick originally hails from the St. Louis area.

Alma Hernandez is a Housing Specialists with Lakeside CDC, focusing on foreclosure prevention and first time homebuyer counseling.  She brings more than thirteen years of combined housing counseling and social services experience, including the previous eight years as a housing counselor with Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA). While at CEDA, Alma also worked as a Youth Counselor and as a volunteer counselor for victims of domestic violence.

Alma has a degree in Social Services from St. Augustine College. Originally from Mexico, Alma came to Chicago twenty-five years ago and later moved to Cicero where she and her family now call home.

Alma loves what she does and has a true passion for educating others on how to better their lives.

 Housing Specialist II

As a Housing Specialist for Lakeside CDC, Israel assists low to moderate income homeowners facing foreclosure and works to help organize educational opportunities for prospective homebuyers. Before joining Lakeside, Israel worked in community organizing, immigrants’ rights, and heath justice with Action Now and Organization of the NorthEast in Chicago and Physicians for Social Responsibility in Los Angeles. Originally from Nicaragua, Israel is focused on issues affecting many immigrants and minorities in Chicago such as violence prevention, education, affordable housing, and family-supporting wages.

Israel has a Bachelor’s Degree in computer programming from the Instituto Nacional Tecnologico de Nicaragua. He lives in Rogers Park with his wife and newborn son.

Esther Williams-Hays is Rental Housing Advocate II at Lakeside, where her responsibilities include client intake and advocacy within the agency rental housing program.  She brings to Lakeside an enthusiastic and strong drive to help those in need of housing assistance.

Prior to working with Lakeside Esther has worked as a Social Services Coordinator at a HUD- Senior Independent Living Building, working to provide case management, individual and family counseling, development of programs designed to address the mind, body, spiritual and financial wellness. Esther developed partnerships with area organizations and businesses Which provided advocacy programs to seniors and their families.

Esther is originally from the Lawndale community on the West Side of Chicago and currently lives in Evanston.  She serves as a board member of the Food Assistance Center of Evanston, Church Women United and the Evanston Inter Faith Clergy Council.  Esther also serves as the director of the faith-based organization The Bread of Life International.  She provides counseling, educational and advocacy training and services to women in all stages of life.

Esther holds a Master’s Degree from National Louis University in Human Service Administration, Prevention, Intervention and Community Wellness.  She also holds several other degrees including a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  She is an accomplished Artist and Master Storyteller, currently showing works in Chicago and Evanston.