Mentor and volunteer recruiter in the External Affairs department at UCAN

Ellen Acevedo, a former teacher to ELL students in the Berwyn and Cicero school district, is committed to teaching and has an extreme desire to “pay it forward.” Ellen currently has been in the position of mentor and volunteer recruiter in the External Affairs department for the past six years at UCAN (a social service agency which serves 12,000 youth and their families a year).  In this position she is responsible for building and nurturing relationships with corporate and community partners in an effort to engage them in the agency, which ultimately benefit the youth who are served through UCAN.

Ellen is passionate about building and enhancing relationships which engage corporations and their employees in community. She has fostered and developed ongoing successful relationships for the benefit of various organizations and the population which they serve. These organizations include DePaul University, J. Sterling Morton High School and UCAN.

Ellen received her BA degree in education from DePaul University.  Her professional certifications include: ELS/Bilingual Endorsement from National Lewis University and Illinois Volunteer Management Training Series Certification. She volunteers at various public schools as an ELL tutor and assists those in need at various Chicagoland shelters.

Ellen and her husband have an eight year old son and enjoy involvement in his school PTO and after school activities.  She is also an active member of her church where she gives of her time to teaching children and commits assisting adults who are currently transitioning in the workforce. Ellen is thrilled to be an active participant in Mujeres de HACE and continues to learn from her Mujeres colleagues and participants in the program.