Leticia Ortiz

Leticia, our Immigration Specialist, has been with mcs since 1997.  Leticia is trained in the area of immigration,  IRS, and other areas related to service.  In 2005, she received partial accreditation from the Board of Immigration Appeals which will allow her to more fully help clients seeking residency or citizenship. "I enjoy working at Meadows Community Services because every day is full of new experiences and challenges on how to serve others."

Anna Mota

Anna, our Operations Manager, joined the mcs staff in June 2005.  She oversees the day-to-day operations including programming, financial assistance requests and volunteer management.  Anna helps clients enroll in health services programs like AllKids and Access to Care.  She also acts as the liason person between donors, volunteers and the Board.

Ivonne Andrade de Paz

Ivonne, our Office Assistant, greets everyone with a smile as they enter the mcs office.  She answers phones, makes appointments, answers questions, and provides translation services for clients. She also performs data entry and other computer support. Ivonne joined our staff in May 2006.  She speaks fluent Spanish (having grown up in Mexico) and English. In Mexcio, she taught ESL classes.

Terry Kaul, a Certified Financial Planner with a practice in Arlington Heights, serves as our Board Chair.  Terry was first drawn to mcs when she saw how mcs was able to provide for so many with such limited means.  In her role as Board Chair she is constantly on the look-out for ways to increase our available resources.  Terry is committed to strengthening our current structure as well as helping us prepare for future opportunities to reach the community with the love of Christ. Terry and her husband Jeff live in Arlington Heights and attend Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church.

Margaret (Margie) Conner is the Associate Dean of Non-Traditional Edcuation at Trinity College. She has been active on nonprofit boards for many years and has a passion for helping people.

Mike Zawacke is a retired teacher and school administrator.  He currently works part time at Harper College as a learning specialist.  In this role, Mike assists adult learners in becoming successful college students.  Mike served large bilingual populations in his many years in education.  In this role and also at his church he has worked to serve this special population.  The PNRC (Police Neighborhood Resource Center) in Rolling Meadows was an outreach effort of Mike’s school, other community agencies and the city of Rolling Meadows.  Mike serves as Chairperson of the Publicity Committee.  He hopes these efforts will encourage greater community involvement and support for changing the lives of our clients.  Mike and his wife Judy are long time residents of Arlington Heights.

Carol Long is a food scientist with Quaker/Tropicana/Gatorade, a division of PepsiCo.  She became familiar with mcs when she served as a member and Chairman of the Missions & Outreach Committee at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights.  Carol was elected to the Board in March 2006 and also serves as chair of the Finance Committee.

Hal Stern, a retired systems analyst, was first introduced to mcs as an ESL tutor. He was impressed by the wide range of services offered and the compassion attached to it. Hal speaks several languages and spent 12 years teaching to bilingual populations.  He has lived in Mexico, Spain, France and Germany. He is an active member of First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights where he serves on many committees and the Deacon Board. 

Alice Parédez is a retired bilingual immigration counselor. Alice's first connection with Meadows Community Services was an invitation to give a seminar on immigration issues. Later, she was invited back to help with a citizenship workshop.  Alice was impressed with the breadth of programs that MCS offers. Having lived in Mexico, Australia and the Dominican Republic, she has special empathy for families in transition and persons who may be adjusting to a new and different culture. Alice has observed clients at mcs develop new skills and confidence, who in turn, give back to their communities in gratitude for the services received.

Cynthia Goldsberry volunteers as an ESL Tutor and has been a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights for many years.  Her commitment to mcs over the years is only surpassed by her enthusiasm.