On Friday, April 21, 2017 at Northeastern Illinois University, Latino faculty and students from across the state will gather for the 25th annual ILACHE (Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education) conference.
Maria Luisa Zamudio
ILACHE is a statewide organization dedicated to the development of educational programs, fostering leadership, and promoting Latino higher education advocacy. ILACHE provides a forum for educators, community representatives, and other supporters to improve the educational, professional, and social advancement of Latinos.
Our very own, Maria Luisa Zamudio, director of Transitioning Paraprofessionals into Teachers Program, is the vice-president of membership at ILACHE. She explains, “I became involved with ILACHE in the fall of 2007, when I was invited to apply for a board membership position by my colleague Dr. Daniel Lopez, who is the current president of the organization and ISU alum. Since then, I have been involved with the organization and representing Illinois State University.”
Maria Luisa promotes ISU participation at the annual ILACHE conference. For example, in the last four years, there has been approximately 30 Illinois State faculty, staff, and students participating in this conference.
In addition, ILACHE has been working very closely with the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations (EAF) in the College of Education. Under the leadership of Lenford Sutton and other EAF faculty, the first cohort of Latin@ professionals in the Leadership, Equity, and Inquiry Ph.D. program has been piloted. This initiative comes as a result of a need for more Latin@ professionals in the area of higher education, particularly in leadership positions, as well as the demand of quality programs that give opportunity to more administrators to advance in their education. The Ph.D. cohort is in place and started its first two courses last fall. ILACHE has worked in conjunction with the EAF department to make this happen. The organization helped to recruit graduate students and secure classroom space in Northeastern University (El Centro campus), where the program is housed.
Zamudio adds, “Being part of ILACHE holds multiple meanings for me. First, it embodies responsibility because I am representing one of the best colleges in the State of Illinois, ISU. Second, my professional growth has flourished as a result of the mentorship from, my ILACHE board colleagues, who are also Latin@ professionals in the field of education. I have the pleasure to work with people who are amazing human beings and wonderful leaders; from presidents, vice-presidents, directors, advisors, and many other valuable professionals in higher education who share their time and knowledge to mentor other Latin@ students and professionals. Third, it means hope for our next generation of Latin@ professionals who will be ready to take over and continue the legacy of ILACHE and other initiatives that are already being created to continue supporting Latin@ individuals. I consider ILACHE a family where all Latin@s are equal and support each other, whether you are a professional or a student.”
