Mr. Jesus Garcia was brought on as the first Executive Director of Little Village Community Development Corporation (LVCDC).  Nine years later, Mr. Garcia has taken on a more strategic role as President of the organization. 

Before coming to LVCDC, Mr. Garcia was the Director of Little Village Neighborhood Housing Services.  Before working in the non-profit arena, Mr. Garcia served in elected office for 15 years.  He was one of the first Latinos elected to Chicago’s City Council in 1986 and later became the first Mexican-American elected to the Illinois Senate.

Mr. Garcia is Vice President of a local foundation, the Woods Fund of Chicago.  He serves on the board of Latinos United (a new metro area policy center), Northwestern University Center for International Human Rights, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago.  Mr. Garcia is also a board member the Development Training Institute, a national organization.  Mr. Garcia holds a BA in Political Science from University of Illinois and a Masters in Urban Planning from University of Illinois at Chicago.  Mr. Garcia has been a resident of the Little Village neighborhood for 35 years, and he is a proud husband and father of three children.