Our dedicated team works tirelessly to find useful information and then translate it with high standards for our bilingual caregivers.  

Paulina Guzmán, MA

LinkedIn Member

Paulina is a dedicated lifelong learner, educator and an advocate for reducing health disparities among Latinos and other underrepresented groups.   Paulina has dedicated her life to working with individuals, organizations and communities to expand resources and overcome barriers by linking uninsured individuals and families who live in low-income and underserved communities with high quality health care services that are financially, geographically, linguistically and culturally accessible. Her passion for primary and preventive health care is rooted in her own childhood experiences, watching her parents, small business owners and respected leaders of the Pilsen and small Texas communities, deal with the realities of being uninsured and having limited access to vital health care services.  Her commitment to fighting for social justice and health equalities only grew as she reached adulthood, and she has made it her life’s work.  Paulina has used her talents to work with many important faith-based and community organizations, including The Resurrection Project, The Archdiocese of Chicago Immigrant Services Department, Cook County Women’s Corrections and State's Attorney for Cook County, Illinois’ Office, Anita Alvarez.  Currently Paulina works at Northeastern Illinois University as an Enrollment Coordinator working with first generation students seeking a postsecondary education.  Her work experience and research in graduate school have prepared her to work with students, parents and the community to increase awareness of the lack of Latino health professionals and create pathways to increase and retain Latino students in pursuing health professions.  

Jim Manzardo, Community Member

Matilde Manzardo, Community Member

Sylvia E. Klinger, MS, RD, LDN, CPT

LinkedIn Member

Sylvia is a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer and founder of Hispanic Food Communications, a food communications and culinary consulting company based in Hinsdale, IL. A Hispanic native who is a leading expert in cross-cultural Hispanic cuisine as it relates to nutrition and health, Sylvia speaks both English and Spanish fluently.  Sylvia has an impressive record and knowledge of Hispanic foods and culture.  She uses her in-depth culinary and cultural expertise to introduce new strategies for wellness to an increasingly health-conscious Hispanic population.   For more than a decade, Sylvia has been a consultant for major food, beverage, pharmaceutical companies and non-profit organizations. Sylvia has appeared on NBC, ABC, Fox News, CNN Spanish, Univision, Telemundo, America Teve, TV Azteca, Mundo Fox, and Telefutura.  She has made many guest appearances on Despierta America and Telemundo Chicago News, and numerous Hispanic cable stations. She has been a guest nutritionist on Hispanic radio talk shows and for several publications, including Latina Magazine, Siempre Mujer, Vanidades, El Nuevo Impact, Bakery and Snack Magazine and Decisive. She is a regular contributor to many websites, including  Culinary.net, NBC Latino, Fox News Latino, Huffington Post and Mamas Latinas.  She is an active member of the Illinois Dietetic Association.

Yadira Montoya, MSPH

LinkedIn Member

Yadira Montoya is a passionate advocate for equal access to health resources for all. Yadira’s commitment to improving access to health resources among the Latino community and her bi-cultural background has positioned her to take on several roles in health education, outreach and research. As the Coordinator of Community Engagement at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, she develops and implements projects and initiatives to increase awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and promote research participation among the Spanish speaking older adults. She leads the Latino Alzheimer’s Coalition for Advocacy, Research and Education a group of academic and community partners dedicated to empowering individuals with or at risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Its purpose is to obtain greater access to education, family support services, and research opportunities. Yadira earned her Bachelor of Arts in Community Health and Masters of Science in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign.

Fausto Ramos Gomez, MA

LinkedIn Member

Fausto is a 14-year stroke survivor and person with aphasia.  Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, he grew up in Manhattan and attended Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, NY.  He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Mercy College and a Master of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago.  He holds a second Master of Arts Degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from the University of Connecticut.  Fausto is a former Education Officer of the Joyce Foundation, where he worked when he suffered the stroke during surgery.  At the same time, he was working on his PhD in Political Science researching the “Politics of Education,” which he could not complete because of aphasia, trouble with reading, writing and speech.  He was the Director of Law Admissions for the University of Connecticut and also Arizona State University.  In the late 90’s, he ran for the Denver School Board of Education and was a consultant for Padres Unidos, an organization that develops effective strategies for change in educational equity, racial justice and immigrant rights.  Fausto was also a professor at Metropolitan State College and Colorado State University, and a research scientist at the University of Chicago.  He participates in aphasia and stroke research studies to help advance medicine.  Fausto is married to Maria Ugarte-Ramos, the founder of the FAMA Center, his caregiver and life partner. 

Rosy Tyree, MAAT, LCPC, ATR

LinkedIn Member

Rosy is a bilingual licensed psychotherapist in private practice specializing in trauma, anxiety, depression and grief.  She is a former bereavment counselor at a hospice agency. Rosy holds a Master of Arts Degree in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work from Northeastern Illinois University.  She is trained in Dementia Care, Powerful Tools for Caregivers, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (trained by EMDR HAP), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) via Tom Masbaum, Brainspotting and Domestic Violence Awareness.  Rosy also holds a certificate in Horticultural Therapy from The Chicago Botanical Garden.