Chicago Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber hires new executive director
Tue. March 17, 2015 9:27 AM
gerardo rodriguez
Chicago, IL -
After a nearly three-month search, the Board of Directors of The Chicago Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce has hired Gerardo Rodriguez as the organization's new executive director.
"We're thrilled," said Billy Stevenson, board chair of the Chamber. "When we posted the position, we came up with a laundry list of requirements, thinking that, at best, we'd find a candidate who would meet about 75% of them, and that they'd need to come up to speed in the other areas. Gerardo came to us fulfilling every one of those requirements."
During his tenure as a professional business advisor at the Chicago Urban League and Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Rodriguez successfully assisted businesses in obtaining more than $100 million in contracts awarded, creating more than 150 jobs and retaining 300 positions.
"I'm looking forward to working closely with the Board to help raise the economic profile of all our member businesses, the Chamber, and the community as a whole," says Rodriguez. "The ongoing fight for equality in both the business and social sectors for the LGBT community is the civil rights issue of our generation."
"The Chicago Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is not just about business, but also about making a better world. Economic livelihood is the determinant of having a good life and influence in our society; we represent the answer to the social disparities that affect our entire community. Representation matters."
Rodriguez holds degrees in English - Creative Writing and Philosophy from Southern Illinois University, and recently completed his Masters of Science degree in Oriental Medicine with a focus in Nutrition.
From a press release
"We're thrilled," said Billy Stevenson, board chair of the Chamber. "When we posted the position, we came up with a laundry list of requirements, thinking that, at best, we'd find a candidate who would meet about 75% of them, and that they'd need to come up to speed in the other areas. Gerardo came to us fulfilling every one of those requirements."
During his tenure as a professional business advisor at the Chicago Urban League and Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Rodriguez successfully assisted businesses in obtaining more than $100 million in contracts awarded, creating more than 150 jobs and retaining 300 positions.
"I'm looking forward to working closely with the Board to help raise the economic profile of all our member businesses, the Chamber, and the community as a whole," says Rodriguez. "The ongoing fight for equality in both the business and social sectors for the LGBT community is the civil rights issue of our generation."
"The Chicago Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce is not just about business, but also about making a better world. Economic livelihood is the determinant of having a good life and influence in our society; we represent the answer to the social disparities that affect our entire community. Representation matters."
Rodriguez holds degrees in English - Creative Writing and Philosophy from Southern Illinois University, and recently completed his Masters of Science degree in Oriental Medicine with a focus in Nutrition.
From a press release