Juliana Ceja, Senior Consultant, Centare
Juliana Ceja is a Senior Consultant with Centare’s Agile Practice in Chicago, IL. She has diverse technical and business experience working across industries including logistics, banking, healthcare and marketing.
She specializes in process improvement, coaching, and advising. Juliana currently provides business agility and product development consulting through training and coaching of modern management and agile development practices.
Delia Gutierrez McLaughlin, President, Coda Technology Consulting
Delia Gutierrez McLaughlin is the President and CEO of Coda Technology Consulting and brings extensive experience in leveraging technology to deliver competitive business advantage. She has led engagements with clients such as Catholic Health Initiatives, Ace Insurance, General Growth Properties, etc., that incorporated a high degree of cross-organizational partnering, outsourced vendor knowledge, relationship management, data center, and infrastructure operations skills. She has worked in concert with teams across corporations to drive strategic process improvement. Partnering with her clients, Delia has a track record in providing technology solutions to business initiatives and, more recently, in the effective use of strategic sourcing resulting in a new $25M contract with an outsource vendor.
Before Delia took her life in a new direction by creating her own company, she was the Director of Outsourced Vendor Management for Aon Corporation’s Chicago-based Technology Services and Solutions team. Delia leveraged her 20 years of experience in information technology, telephony and software development to provide governance and oversight for all technology projects assigned to the Technology Services and Solutions team. Delia managed the escalation for all end-user issues within Aon Hewitt by providing an added layer of leadership between Aon and their vendors.
In October 2010, Delia was elected to the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC) and was selected to the HITEC 100 – Most Influential Hispanic Executives in IT, 2011. HITEC is a premier professional organization for Hispanic IT Executives which focuses on significantly increasing Hispanic leadership in information technology. HITEC recognizes the importance of highlighting HITEC members and their achievements by focusing on technology leaders who have made a significant contribution to the IT Industry.
Delia is a native of Chicago, having grown up in the Pilsen neighborhood. As a child, Delia participated in programs such as Head Start, CETA and other social programs that worked to provide opportunities to children. Delia attended college at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas and received her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Accountancy from University of Illinois – Chicago. Delia has a passion for advocacy and assists organizations on behalf of the communities they represent to continually work toward fulfilling goals.
Vanessa Flores, Marketing/LEED Coordinator, JGMA
Having studied Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences - Human Dimensions, Vanessa is zealous about energy conservation, water efficiency, reusing existing materials and resources, and optimizing sunlight, among others . Ms. Flores ascertained her interest in environmental design in her native Guadalajara, Mexico, a colonial city with copious green spaces. At the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, she worked with Dr. Ming Kuo, founder of the Landscape and Human Health Lab, examining how various activities in “green” settings reduce ADD/ADHD symptoms in children. Furthermore, Vanessa spent three months in the Galapagos Archipelago studying the evolution of the Galapagos tortoises that led to Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. She witnessed the dynamic volcanic activity throughout the islands and their pertinent flora and fauna. She also had the opportunity to work with Hacienda Tranquila and assist in educating the local population of San Cristobal Island regarding the importance of environmental stewardship. Their collaborate effort encouraged the community to prevent the spread of invasive species, protect their wildlife, and evaluate the efficacy of local policies. Currently, Vanessa is the Sustainability Coordinator for the award-winning architecture firm, JGMA.
Consuelo Venegas, Civil Engineer Illinois Department of Transportation
Connie grew up on the South side of Chicago and attended Jones College Prep High School. She graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earning a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in December 2009 and is currently working on earning her Masters of Science in Civil Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago. Connie obtained the Engineer in Training (EIT) designation in 2011 and is currently working toward obtaining her Professional Engineer’s license later this Spring. Connie has worked for both the public and private sector in her career. She has worked both the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Parsons Brinkerhoff. She is currently working in the Bureau of Construction as an Assistant Resident Engineer and is the IDOT Chicago city expressway closures coordinator and CTA/CDOT/OEMC liaison. Connie's past projects include the construction Congress Parkway and Wells Street Bascule Bridges. She recently completed work on the Circle Interchange Project and is currently working on the I-55/Lake Shore Drive Bridge Reconstruction Project.
After work hours, Connie works with IDOT's department of Diversity Recruitment and Outreach helping in minority youth events to expose students to STEM field careers. Connie is an active mentor in the Transportation YOU program, a partnership program between the WTS, CPS, and the DOT that fosters the development of women in the transportation field by encouraging bright new professionals and students to undertake careers in transportation.
Laura Sanchez, CEO, SWATware
Laura Sanchez is the founder and CEO of SWATware LLC, a full‐service Information Technology (IT) firm that delivers comprehensive IT and Web solutions, with a focus in Cyber Security. With over ten years of experience as a consultant, Laura has assisted numerous businesses in improving their online presence, while at the same time improving the security and reliability of their IT infrastructure. She is one of the
few existing Latina entrepreneurs in Chicago’s Technology field, combining her quality services and passion for IT by sharing her experience with small business owners in various capacities. Laura has utilized her proficiency in both English and Spanish to perform work internationally and is well recognized for her expertise in the IT field. She has spoken for the City of Chicago (BACP), the IHCC (Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), WBDC, UNAM Chicago, HACIA, Verizon and other organizations dedicated to educational and economic development that encourage the proper use of technology both professionally and personally.
Laura received her Master’s degree in Innovation and Business Development from the Tec de Monterrey, one of the top universities in Mexico. She graduated Summa Cum Laude when receiving her undergraduate degree in International Business and Marketing. In 2013, Laura was awarded the Nueva Latina Estrella in the Technology category by Verizon, and was an honorable mention recipient for the 2013 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards by Enterprising Women Magazine that same year. These awards are meant to honor women business owners who have demonstrated high potential‐growth and stand out as leaders in their communities. In addition to this Laura has been feature on TV by Univision, Telemundo and ABC7, as well as in local radio stations and newspapers such as Hoy and Negocios Now and the national publication Latino Leaders Magazine.
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