LEADERSHIP

MARICELA GARCÍA
Chief Executive Officer

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Maricela Garcia is the Chief Executive Officer of Gads Hill Center, a community-based organization founded in 1898 that creates opportunities for children and their families to build a better life through education, access to resources, and community engagement.  Ms. Garcia has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit management leading organizations through start-up, turnaround, and expansion.  

Ms. Garcia is the former Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and founding Executive Director of the Latino Policy Forum.  Prior to Gads Hill Center, she was the Director of Capacity Building and Juvenile Justice Policy at UnidosUS, formerly the National Council of La Raza.

Ms. Garcia came to the United States in the early 1980s as a result of the civil war in Guatemala.  After her arrival in the U.S., she founded Casa Guatemala to assist newly arriving refugees and later co-founded Women for Guatemala, an organization dedicated to building solidarity among women in the U.S. with women’s organizations in Guatemala fighting to uphold human rights.  

Maricela has also served on various boards and councils including the National Immigration Forum, the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Northwestern University Human Rights Center, the Chicago Community Renewal Society, Illinois Partners for Human Services, and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. 

Ms. Garcia holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from Northeastern University and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  In addition, she was a policy fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She has also completed leadership programs at Northwestern University, the Kellogg School of Management, and at Harvard Business School. 

Ms. Garcia has received several fellowships and awards including the Chicago Community Trust Senior Leader Fellowship, National Hispana Leadership Institute Fellowship, the Leadership Greater Chicago Fellowship, Latinos of the Southwest Excellence in Leadership Award, and Casa Guatemala Human Rights Award.  In 2001, Chicago Woman Magazine nominated Ms. Garcia as one of the 100 most prominent leaders making a difference in the quality of life of Chicagoans.  That same year, she received the Bannerman Fellowship, which allowed her to study the correlation between economic development and migration in Mexico, Central America, and the United States. She is currently a member of The Chicago Network, an organization for women in senior level leadership positions in business, government, nonprofits, and academia.

Ms. Garcia has two children who are the inspiration of her life, Daniella and Camilo.

ERNESTO DE LA TORRE
Chief Financial Officer

With more than 15 years experience in financial non-profit management, Mr. De La Torre currently is Gads Hills Center's Chief Financial Officer. Mr. De La Torre joined Gads Hill Center in 1999 as an accounting assistant. During the last eight years, Mr. De La Torre has held positions with increasing accounting and financial responsibilities. In addition, he has provided training to other nonprofit organizations on topics such as financial management, internal control, cost savings, budgeting and financial reporting. Mr. De La Torre received his B.A. in Accounting from the University of Guadalajara.

​ANDREW LINDSTAD
​Director of Development and Communication

Andrew Lindstad is a results-oriented development professional with sixteen years of experience in nonprofit management, development, government relations, and communications. During his career, he has managed corporate, major donor, annual, and foundation giving programs, and special events. Andrew has worked in the mental health, nonprofit advocacy, animal health and welfare, and arts and culture spaces. Andrew has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming, a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Colorado, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota. Andrew is an avid music lover and enjoys singing with his chorus and experiencing live performances. 

KRYSTAL ROSS
Director of Early Childhood

Krystal Ross, Director of Early Childhood Education, has 6 years of program director experience, and 12 years experience in the field of Early Childhood Education. Over her tenure, she has served in federally funded programs such as Early Intervention, Head Start and Early Head Start. Ms. Ross holds a B.A in Early Childhood Education, M.S.E.d in Curriculum and Instruction, and is a Certified Class Observer. In addition, she serves on education council committees for Malcolm X College.

NILSA ORTIZ
Associate Director of Mental Health and Community Initiatives

Nilsa Ortiz joined GHC soon after earning her MSW degree in 2015. Nilsa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a master’s in leadership development in Social Services, from Loyola University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Justice and Sociology from Northeastern Illinois University. Nilsa has professional and volunteer experience in community outreach, client advocacy, and providing therapeutic and crisis de-escalation services for disadvantaged youth and families within diverse populations. Nilsa has unique clinical background with proven impact in workforce, education and community engagement.

MARSHA PAYTON
Associate Director of Early Childhood Programs

Marsha M. Payton M.S.Ed, Associate Director of Early Childhood Education and Education/Disabilities Manager, began employment at GHC in January 2019. A proud Alumni of Chicago State University, Ms. Payton has a B.S. in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Family Studies, an M.S. in Educational Leadership, Curriculum, and Instruction with a minor in Adult Education and an M.S. in Technology Education, Quality/Improvement and Performance. Marsha also holds Illinois Gateways Credentials in Level 5 Early Childhood Education, Level 5 Infant Toddler, and Level 2 Director Credential.  A twenty-year veteran in her field, Ms. Payton continues to provide education services and developmental support for community based Early Childhood Programs in several Chicago communities. As an educated and experienced woman of color in the field of Early Childhood Education, Ms. Payton is committed to educating young children and adults in the content area of Early childhood Education for many years to come.

TOMIKO L. SMITH
Partner Network Support Services Manager

Tomiko L. Smith will be the Delegate Network Manager for Gads Hill Center. She holds an A.A.S. in Child Development from the City Colleges of Chicago, and has earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Early Childhood Education/Psychology and Communications from National Louis University. During her 20-year-long career, she has demonstrated a passion for educating and empowering youth and their families. Her leadership abilities, and experience with all levels of Early Childhood Education have allowed her to work competently with children, their families, and their communities. She believes effective communication is key to developing and maintaining strong partnerships, and she believes the home, school and community must work together to ensure the success of our youth. Tomiko currently holds the Illinois Gateways Credentials of ECE Level 5, Infant Toddler Specialist Level 5, and Directors Credential Level II.  She looks forward to continuing to provide Early Childhood Educational services and appropriate supportive services to the communities that have been under served for far too long.