STAFF

In January 2009, Sylvia Puente began serving as Executive Director of the Latino Policy Forum, a public policy and advocacy organization in the Chicago metropolitan area working to improve educational outcomes for children, make housing accessible and affordable, and build the influence and leadership of the Latino community. She has been recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S.” by Hispanic Business magazine.

In 2008, Puente received a leadership award from the Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus Foundation, in 2007 she received the Community Service award from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, in 2006, Puente was awarded the Sor Juana Women of Achievement Award for Community Service by the National Museum of Mexican Art. In 2003, Puente was one of 25 Chicago area women named a “Pioneer for Social Justice.” She is one of only three experienced leaders chosen to become a 2009 Chicago Community Trust Fellow.

Puente has written extensively on issues important to the Latino community and has numerous publications to her credit.  As a noted advocate, her depth of knowledge is regularly called upon to address local, state, and national conferences and meetings where she often serves as keynote speaker. She is particularly known for her ability to collaborate.

Puente’s twenty-five year career serving the Latino community spans a wide range of experience at local, state, and national levels. She served as director of the Center for Metropolitan Chicago Initiatives for the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies.  While at the Institute, she was the driving forces behind convening a regional dialogue on the impact of Latino growth in the Chicago Metropolitan area.

As Director of New Initiatives for the Resurrection Project, Puente expanded the organization’s outreach programs in areas of great concern to the Latino community – health, education, and economic development.

At the Latino Institute – a prominent think tank on Latino issues during ‘80s and ‘90s – she served as director of research, public policy and advocacy, overseeing the development of analyses on issues such as immigration, workforce development, and education.

Puente also gained broad experience in policy, legislative, and decision-making processes in a variety of positions with the State of Illinois.

Puente founded the Latino Leadership Council of the Chicago Foundation for Women, which has raised thousands of dollars to support organizations that provide services to women and girls. Along with many other civic organizations in which she is active, Puente serves as a board director of Advance Illinois, a public policy organization dedicated to improving education in the state.

Sylvia was introduced to her life’s work as an advocate, policy analyst, and activist for Latino issues at age thirteen when she joined her mother on picket lines in support of the United Farm Workers.

Puente began her master’s degree studies at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and received her M.A. in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago. She holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.