Read biographies of feature guests for the 2016 Latina Trailblazers Networking Forum being held next Thursday, July 28 at CUVEE Chicago.
MODERATOR
Trina Fresco, Vice President, U. S. Community Alliances, Events & Engagement, Nielsen
Trina Fresco is the Vice President of U.S. Community Alliances, Events and Engagement for Nielsen. In her role she leads the collaboration with multicultural organizations across the country to increase Nielsen’s brand awareness with diverse consumers and improve the overall probability of multicultural involvement to reach our commitment of ensuring diversity in measurement. Trina also represents Nielsen as a Thought Leader. She serves as the Women in Nielsen (WIN) Midwest co-chair of the community relations subcommittee. She offers large-enterprise expertise through her tenure as vice president of operations for an IT firm for six years, plus national account manager and paint chemist within the chemical industry for nearly a decade.
Trina is passionate about her community and is an active board member of the Chicago Foundation for Women, and serves on a number of additional boards and committees. Most importantly, Trina is the mother of two angels, Sofia and Giana, and a little king, Lorenzo. Having had three children under three at one point in her life, she and her husband, George, try to keep things calm in the South Loop of Chicago.
DISCUSSION PANELISTS
Evelin Freytas, Agent and Owner, New York Life Insurance, President, University of Illinois Latina/Latino Alumni Association
Evelin Freytas, LUTCF, CLTC, received her Bachelor’s degree in International Business from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During her undergraduate career she studied Finance and International Business in Granada, Spain and at The Chinese University of Hong Kong as well as being an active member of Alpha Psi Lambda National, Inc. After graduation, Evelin began her career as a District Manager of Automatic Data Processing Payroll Services (ADP), in which she designed payroll and HR solutions specifically for the needs of small businesses.
Today, she is a Financial Services Representative for New York Life Insurance Company; she helps businesses and individuals create a roadmap to help them reach their financial goals. Evelin has received: The Premier Centurion Award, Annuity Champion Award, Community Impact Agent of The Year Award, Life AllStar Award, Career Life Producer Award, Career Life Success Award and Life Foundation Award; becoming the first Latina to earn all of these accolades in the Chicago North-shore office.
She is actively involved in several community organizations centered on education and empowerment of women and Latinos. Evelin currently serves as President of The University of Illinois Latina Latino Alumni Association (IllinoisLLAA), collaborates with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Latino Alliance and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Ecuadorian Volunteers Association. In addition to her work and community involvement, Evelin is a life learner and currently enrolled in an MBA program in downtown Chicago.
Ana Gil Garcia, Professor, Northeastern Illinois University
Ana Gil Garcia is an international education activist professor with a strong advocacy for diversity and inclusion and presently teaches at Northeastern Illinois University. As she developed her professional career, Ana formed strong educational leaders who are currently serving at various schools not only in Chicago but around the world. Her tenure in Chicago has been recognized from multiple organizations that valued her sense of sustainable and distributed leadership.
Mentoring and coaching minority women and young professionals for higher education is her educational life plan. She has taught for more than 30 years, from 6th grade to graduate classrooms and has held administrative positions and has kept her passion on transforming lives from the classroom.
Her service to the education professional communities can be verified by several ways: mentoring young professionals for higher education, coaching female professionals for doctoral programs, developing junior faculty, actively engaging in different boards and councils, training teachers to become school leaders, participating on campaigns against domestic violence and child abuse, advocating for Latino leadership parity and creating international bridges for minorities. Her defense of democracy and equal opportunities has brought recognition from various human rights groups. She has devoted most of her passion to ensuring peace and global citizenship education as the vehicle for preparing young people for their involvement in the civic life in their communities.
Karina Llergo Salto, Arts & Crafts Professional, Karina Llergo Art
Karina Llergo was born and raised in Mexico City where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design as well as advanced degrees in Multimedia, Animation, and Abstract Art. She studied with famed Mexican artist Roberto Cortazar and portraitist Enrique Estrada, who both saw her talent and strongly encouraged her to continue her artistic journey.
While keeping art at the forefront of her mind and heart, Karina enjoyed a highly successful corporate career as art director for Mexico City’s top newspaper “Reforma” and at illustrious advertising agency, McCann Erickson. Among the many campaigns she helped create, some of her most memorable were for clients such as Coca-Cola, Revlon and Kimberly Clark.
Throughout her professional life, Karina painted and worked tirelessly to develop her unique style. As a lifelong dancer, competitive swimmer and avid skydiver, she found herself drawn to depicting on canvas the palpable energy of the human body in motion.
Driven by these fascinations and armed with her talent for figurative painting , Karina found a way to translate her observations and creative imagination into thought-provoking paintings of breathtaking beauty.
Since moving to Chicago in 2007 and transitioning to art full time, Karina’s work has received high praise and she is greatly admired throughout the vibrant Chicagoland art world. Among her many accolades, Karina has received numerous Outstanding Achievement and Best In Show awards at distinguished art shows all over Chicagoland and exhibits in galleries throughout the United States.
Of Mexican, Armenian and Spanish descent, Karina’s diverse background influences her life in every way, as does her insatiable passion for the creative arts. When she is not painting, Karina relishes spending time with her husband and four children.
Leticia Romero, Owner, Azul Holistic Spa & Wellness Center, Author , Today’s Inspired LATINA
With a background of business administration and a passion for wellness and holistic health care, Leticia is co-founder and owner of Azul Holistic Spa & Wellness Center. Leticia and her twin sister Silvia Romero created Azul Spa as an inspiration of well-being promoting a variety of healing therapies through a holistic approach that attends to the needs of body, mind & spirit. Their passion for the spa business concept grew stronger and with great success. Azul Holistic Spa and Wellness center recently celebrated its fourth anniversary in the west loop in Chicago and recently opened a Miami Beach location.
As a founder an entrepreneur Leticia has been recognized by numerous associations, earning the award of reflecting excellence as a Latino business by Reflejos Newspaper in 2013, among others. Leticia and Silvia have been recognized for their work and nominated for Latinas entrepreneur of the year award by the Chicago Latino network in 2014. Azul Spa has been featured on Radio: WIND, WGN with Bill Moller and Univision radio. They also recently participated in a segment on “Living healthy Chicago” on WGN. Leticia has been featured on the cover of NegociosNow, Latina Style Magazine, Modern Luxury Miami magazine and Azul Spa was nominated as one of the best Spas in Chicago, by Savvy Sassy.
The Romero sisters are very proud to be a Latino business and have strategically aligned themselves with distinguished Latino organizations; such as the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Women in Business, Women of ALPFA, among others. Although Azul Spa has found great support among the Latino business community, its appeal is wide range and highly regarded in the Spa industry of Chicago.
Time is running out to register. Don't miss the signature summer networking event for Chicago's Hispanic professional community in celebration of Latina Trailblazers at one of River North's most exclusive social destinations... CUVEE Chicago.
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