HR0441LRB102 19959 LAW 28740 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Christa A. Hamilton on
4her election as president and CEO of UCAN; and
 
5    WHEREAS, UCAN was founded as a Civil War orphanage 152
6years ago and now serves more than 21,000 children, youths,
7and families around Chicago; during the COVID-19 pandemic, the
8organization has been a critical provider of essential
9services since March 2020; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Christa Hamilton is a native Chicagoan and was
11born in the Englewood community; she is a first-generation
12college graduate, earning her Bachelor of Science in Business
13Administration from Florida A&M University and her MBA from
14National Louis University; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Christa Hamilton has devoted her career to
16improving the lives of others in resilient communities and
17centering equity in all aspects; prior to her appointment, she
18worked in both corporate and store operations at Walgreens for
19six years, as a consultant for the Department of Labor for two
20years, and as the director of Workforce Development at the
21Centers for New Horizons for three years before succeeding the
22founder as executive director and CEO in 2014; while there,

 

 

HR0441- 2 -LRB102 19959 LAW 28740 r

1she distinguished herself as a turnaround leader who nearly
2doubled the organization's budget to $17 million while
3overseeing more than 300 full-time and part-time staff in
4programs across 15 locations throughout Chicago; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Christa Hamilton is a community and civic leader;
6she serves on the boards for Instituto del Progreso Latino and
7the Chicago Citywide Literacy Coalition; she is a fellow of
8Leadership Greater Chicago, a member of the Social Services
9Advisory Council with the Illinois Department of Human
10Services, and a member of the University of Chicago Advisory
11Council; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Christa Hamilton will be both the first African
13American and the first woman to lead UCAN; she will succeed
14Interim President and CEO Thomas Vanden Berk on September 13,
152021; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
17HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18we congratulate Christa A. Hamilton on her election as
19president and CEO of UCAN, and we wish her the best in her new
20role; and be it further
 
21    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
22presented to Christa Hamilton as an expression of our esteem

 

 

HR0441- 3 -LRB102 19959 LAW 28740 r

1and respect.