Negocios Now is proud to present Latinos 40 Under 40’s Class of 2018. We’d like to showcase the 40 between now and March 7th, that’ll be the day of the event to celebrate and recognize these forty individuals, some of Chicago’s finest Latino professionals.
#33 – Luis Roman
Human and civil rights advocate
Age: 29
Title: Program Manager for the Community Health Initiative
Name of Organization: The J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation
Luis is the Program Manager for the Community Health Initiative at the J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation. There, Luis supports initiatives to reduce the health barriers and improve the quality of lives for all Illinoisans, and manages the Foundation’s commitment to human and civil rights.
In his previous role, Luis served as the Policy Director for the City of Chicago’s Office of the City Clerk where he assisted the community-driven policy initiatives to improve the lives of all Chicago residents. Luis managed some of the efforts to develop the Chicago municipal ID program, CityKey and helped launch the citywide Status of Women and Girls Working Group.
Luis’ commitment to social justice and equity stem out of his own personal experiences as an immigrant, a son of working-class parents and a member of the LGBTQ community. He was introduced to activism shortly after coming out, when he led his school’s Gay-Straight-Alliance and immediately began advocating for statewide anti-bullying legislation and an inclusive educational curriculum. He continued this path as an undergraduate student-activist at UCLA and was awarded the Ezekiel “Zeke” Webber Leadership in Activism and Education Award, and received the Chancellor’s Service Award.
An AmeriCorps program with the Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Right’s and Lambda Legal brought Luis to Chicago and he continues to be a leader in the LGBTQ and Latino community. As a Board Member for the Association of Latina/os Motivating Action (ALMA), he leads the education and advocacy efforts for the organization.
Luis has also participated in the Latino Policy Forum’s Multicultural Leadership Academy, the New Leaders Council Institute, and the Young Nonprofit Professional Network’s Launchpad Fellowship. In 2013, The Windy City Times recognized Luis as a 30 under 30 outstanding LGBTQ leaders.
Words of Wisdom:
