Karen Hernandez, a Chicago native raised in the Little Village neighborhood, currently serves as an Officer in the United States Army National Guard. Alongside her military duties, she is Executive Director at Chicago Veterans, a nonprofit dedicated to serving the veteran community. Notably, Hernandez is one of a few female executive directors in a field traditionally dominated by men.
Hernandez, the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, spent most of her life in La Villita and Pilsen, alongside her five siblings. As a first-generation high school and college graduate, she harbored a lifelong desire to serve her community, starting her career as an LPN during high school.
In 2008, Hernandez enlisted in the U.S. Army, later commissioning in 2011 as a Medical Services Intelligence, Plans, and Operations Officer. She served in Guatemala for a humanitarian mission with the Kaibil (Guatemala Special Forces). In 2020, she played a crucial role as the Deputy Commander for COVID Task Force Testing for the State of Illinois.
Hernandez’s military service includes commanding roles, notably as Commander for one field hospital and three outstations, providing medical support across Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. She has dedicated over a decade to serving the veteran community and currently leads Chicago Veterans in empowering veterans through community involvement, leadership, networking, and peer support.
A devoted mother to an 11-year-old child, Hernandez advocates for diversity and inclusion, representing minority women in executive leadership roles. She values integrity, personal courage, and selflessness and embodies these qualities in her work and relationships.
Words of Wisdom: Don’t let your past be a place of residence, use it as a point of reference. The beauty in every struggle is that you can choose to let it define you, confine you, refine you, outshine you, or put it behind you. Al mal tiempo, buena cara… y siempre pa’lante! – Karen Hernandez.
