Staff



Jameelah Kaka - Manager, Caring Connections for Seniors, ICAS Senior Services & SARFS

773-338-7722, ext. 21
jameelah@northsidecr.org

Gisele Hennings - Director, Housing Resource Center

773-338-7722, ext. 26
gisele@northsidecr.org

Aga Kusmierz - Director, Multicultural Resource Center

773-338-7722, ext. 720
aga@northsidecr.org

Marvin Gutierrez - Coordinator, Multicultural Resource Center

773-338-7722, ext. 723
marvin@northsidecr.org

Derick Anderson - Director, Development

773-338-7722, ext. 29
derick@northsidecr.org

Derick has been with NCR/NCDC since February 2011 and has worked on various programs including Employer Assisted Housing, The Northside Housing Collaborative, Find Your Place in Chicago, and others. Before coming to NCR, Derick served as the Housing Director at the Edgewater Community Council. Derick holds a Bachelor's degree in Geography from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master's degree in Public Administration from DePaul University. Derick also serves on the Board of Directors of the North Side Community Federal Credit Union.

Rick Nichols -Bookkeeper

773-338-7722, ext. 12
rick@northsidecr.org

Chris Zala, Executive Director

773-338-7722, ext. 22
chris@northsidecr.org

Professional Background

Prior to joining Northside Community Resources, Chris served as the Director of the Council on Asian Affairs for the City of Chicago's Commission on Human Relations. Chris helped serve the interests of the Asian American community in Chicago and raised the visibility of the needs of the community by identifying and addressing practices, which had a discriminatory and/or disparate impact on the community. Chris' role was also that of community liaison between City government and the Asian American constituency, in order to enhance communication and improve the community's access to city services and programs.

For a short time prior to his appointment at the City of Chicago, Chris served as the Associate Director of the Mikva Challenge, a non-profit youth leadership organization in Chicago that was started by the Hon. Abner Mikva, former White House Counsel to President Clinton. Before joining the Mikva Challenge, Chris was the Executive Director of the Indo-American Center (IAC) in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood. Under Chris' leadership, the Indo-American Center grew from a five staff member organization to over thirty and went from serving seven thousand people per year to over twenty thousand per year.

Chris currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Indian American Medical Association's Charitable Foundation (IAMACF) - a free, non-profit medical clinic serving Chicago's West Ridge community. His former volunteer activities include serving as a committee member on the City of Chicago's Community Development Block Grant Public Services Committee and past president of the Network of Indian Professionals, Chicago.
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