Mike Strode is a writer, urban cyclist, facilitator, solidarity economy organizer, and Founding Coordinator of The Kola Nut Collaborative, a Chicago-based timebanking initiative that seeks to spur collaboration, network weaving, and mutual aid within communities by developing facilitation tools, platforms, and organizing strategies. The Collaborative develops programming to support Chicago-based organizers in developing non-monetary exchange networks through practices like the Offers and Needs Market. Mike operates at the intersections of facilitation, mediation, organizational design, and popular education, weaving together these skills to support groups in building shared vision and social cohesion.

His work has ranged from conflict transformation within national coalitions to instructional design of cohorts on such topics as municipalism, abolition, solidarity economy, and developing a cooperative group culture. He is a Program Officer supporting the dissolution of Open Collective Foundation and serves on the boards of the US Solidarity Economy Network, New Economy Coalition, South Deering Manor Community Association, and TimeBanks.Org. He has trained through AORTA, Round Sky Solutions, Sociocracy For All, Training for Change, Interrupting Criminalization, Post Growth Institute and SEEDS Community Resolution Center while seeking to inform democratic practice, dynamic governance, radical hospitality, and conflict transformation by asking better questions in the legacy of his ancestral mentors: Ella Baker, Septima Clark, Davina Stewart, & Elandria Williams.

Rosazlia Grillier is the Interim Vice-Chair of Uplan’s  Board & sits on multiple local and National Boards & Advisories. She I s a trainer & Board Chair of  COF(Community Organizing & Family Issues), Co-President Emeritus of POWER PAC IL, in which she served many years as President and has mentored other leaders to walk in that role. She continues to participate with a strong voice in many collaborative ground efforts, such as bringing various Early Education Stakeholders together for Early Childhood Collaborations to ensure Equity & Transparency in Early Education Programs & Services. She also ensured that parents understood the IEP process, was a long-time member of the Economic Justice Coalition, FIAI (Financial Inclusion for All of IL), and worked for years to help pass and push for implementation of The Children’s Savings Account Legislation. She has worked for many years on fines/fees, Debt collection, Utility relief, and working in partnership with Blacks in Green (BIG) to create. She will soon pass The Peoples Utility Relief Reform (PURR)-HB217 as a part of the campaign to end energy poverty.

She also serves Nationally as a  Governing Council & Founding Member of UPLAN (United Parent Leaders Action Network). She also sits on NAFSCE’S Board (National Association for Family School & Community Engagement) and the PFLC, the Family Math Advisory PAC & is one of 3 Parents on Tthe Funders for Educational Leadership Parent Advisory. She is one of the 5 ASPEN Institutes CAG Parent Advisory Group.

Mark Anthony Florido (he/him/his) is proud Chicagoan, Queer, Asian, Filipinx, child of immigrants, and first-generation college student that throws shade, organizes his community, builds power in his community and helps others find their leadership voice. He has spent his professional career in various non-profits, universities, and community-based organizations where his work has focused on educational access, racial justice, immigrant justice, social justice education, and anti-racist work.

As the inaugural Program Associate at One Million Degrees, Mark Anthony worked to increase the academic success of community college scholars across nine partner colleges, providing academic, transfer, and career advising, as well as personalized support, tutoring, and coaching. His work at Loyola University Chicago and DePaul University focused on identity-centered engagement programs in order to increase retention for students of color, low-income students, undocumented and DACAmented immigrant students, first generation college students, and students of marginalized gendered and sexualities. At DePaul, he spearheaded the creation of  Generation Success – a national award-winning retention and empowerment program for first generation college students that provided both group and individualized support for low-income first-generation first year college students. In his previous role as Director of Organizing Strategy for Illinois & Northwest Indiana, he worked with educators, students, parents, elected officials, and other key policy-makers across the state to engage in organizing and policy advocacy work with the goal of advancing educational equity within the State of Illinois, particularly around ending the School to Prison Pipeline and closing the urban digital divide. He currently serves as Program Officer for Social Impact at the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation where he focuses on grantmaking in the areas of education, youth leadership and development, advocacy and organizing, and racial justice. 

He strives to incorporate trauma-informed and healing-centered practices as he tries to uplift and empower the voices of those directly impacted by his work. Mark Anthony remains rooted in community work via his role as a Core Leader for Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago’s A Just Chi Community Leaders Program. He also serves as a Board Member for Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago and Asian Americans Midwest Progressives.

When not engaging his community he enjoys baking, cold brew coffee, and snuggling with his dog, Jujubee.

He holds a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from Boston College and a Masters of Arts in Higher Educations & Student Affairs from New York University.

Andrea Ortiz has over 8 years dedicated to community organizing and advocacy. Her journey has been driven by a commitment to social justice and racial equity, particularly within the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council. Her Master's in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University has fortified her approach to creating meaningful change, aligning with the BPNC's mission to empower our community. Furthermore, her expertise lies in developing strategies that build grassroots political power and foster intergenerational, bilingual education programs.

As Director of Organizing, she oversees and supports the Organizing team of BPNC, cultivating a space for inter-generational leadership and mentorship. She also serves as an Executive Committee member for United Working Families and Grassroots Illinois Action, where she civilly engages her community members around issue-baed campaigns that impact their lives. She also served as a co-chair for the Mayor's Transition Immigration Subcommittee. This allowed her to work closely with values-aligned stakeholders to put together policy recommendations that help our immigrant communities in Chicago.

My skills in public speaking, base-building, and strategizing have enabled me to effectively communicate our vision and engage with diverse audiences, advancing our cause toward achieving racial equity and enhancing community-driven public policy. I have engaged community members on issue-based campaigns around education justice, violence prevention, progressive revenue, immigrant rights, and access to healthcare. Through this all, I’ve learned that if we want to move forward, we need to move together at the speed of trust.

Jose Manuel Almanza Jr. is a dedicated advocate for social justice and community empowerment, committed to dismantling systems of oppression and promoting equity. He currently leads transformative advocacy efforts, coordinates impactful coalitions, and develops educational programs to empower grassroots leaders. Fluent in English and Spanish, Jose Manuel bridges cultural divides to foster inclusive community engagement.

Previously, Jose Manuel has organized around various issues including mobility justice, community safety, housing justice, and has supervised and mentored young activists, and collaborated with local government offices to address community needs and enhance civic engagement. His experience in these roles has been instrumental in pushing forward initiatives that prioritize the needs and voices of black and brown communities.

A US Marine veteran with a background in logistics and team leadership, Jose Manuel also holds advanced degrees in Public Administration and Political Science from Roosevelt University. He actively contributes to grassroots movements as a volunteer leader, focusing on tenant advocacy and eviction defense.

Dedicated to liberation and social justice, Jose Manuel brings people together to build the collective power needed to create change.

Adam Kader (he/him) served as Arise Chicago's Worker Center Director for 14 years before becoming Public Policy Director in 2021. He is proud of his Palestinian roots and his union member parents who instilled an enduring commitment to social and economic justice that he has carried throughout his work. Before joining Arise Chicago he worked as an adult English language learner instructor for a variety of immigrant community organizations in Chicago and taught a Labor and Social Movements course at the University of Illinois. Adam received a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Public Policy with a concentration in Community Development from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He received undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Spanish, with a minor in Gender Studies, from Lawrence University.  Besides raising his daughter with his wife, Adam enjoys old-fashioned hobbies including reading books, listening to vinyl records, and taking urban hikes.

ángela munguía (she/her/ella) was the child who always asked, “why?”. She has brought that same curiosity into her work within the nonprofit sector. The Pilsen native is the founding Executive Director of AMPT: Advancing Nonprofits, a nonprofit organization focused on redefining capacity building and ushering forward an antiracist framework for nonprofit management in Black and Latine led organizations on the south and west sides of Chicago. Within her 4 year tenure, she has grown AMPT from a concept to a full robust team and designed programming that has supported hundreds of nonprofit organizations to date. In addition to capacity building, AMPT works to bridge the gap between the nonprofit sector and philanthropic community by advocating for equitable resource distribution and providing platforms for the two communities to build. ángela uses her voice, platforms and privilege to lift issues of social justice and systemic barriers that affect marginalized communities in the city of Chicago. She is driven by her love of community, culture and two children, Hassan and Naima.

Catherina Malone-Taylor is a mental health professional who is passionate about social work, social justice, and advocating for mothers. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Justice and Social Work from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Healthcare and Clinical Services from Strayer University. Catherina, who was born and raised on the north side of Chicago, has a strong cultural background as a second-generation Caribbean American and third-generation Afro-Latina. She has partnered with corporations and organizations to bridge the gap in corporate workspaces and has developed a campaign series called “Holding Space” to raise awareness about social injustice and cultural sensitivity in corporate environments.

Dixon Romeo (he/him/his), is a 30 year old lifelong Chicago resident, residing in the south shore neighborhood. He is a founding member and the executive director of Not Me We(NMW), a grassroots membership based community organization focusing on housing, education and mutual aid work in South Shore and the surrounding neighborhoods. As a Member of NMW, Dixon is a lead organizer for the Obama Community Benefit Agreement(CBA) coalition, fighting to ensure that the south side neighborhoods surrounding the impending Obama Presidential Center have legislated protections in place to ensure residents are not displaced by the center. He formally was Campaigns Director at United Working Families(UWF), an independent political organization focused on recruiting, training & running black and latinx candidates as well as organizing year-round to build the mass organization we need to expand the landscape of the possible in chicago. In June 2022, Dixon received the leaders for New Chicago Award from the field foundation in partnership with the John D. and Catherine T. Macarthur Foundation for “ Exemplary Work Combatting Structural Racism, Discrimination and Disinvestment.”