Organizing Neighborhoods for Equality: Northside (ONE Northside) is a community organization resulting from the merger of Lakeview Action Coalition and Organization of the Northeast. Together, ONE and LAC have a history of nearly 60s years of powerful and effective community organizing. ONE Northside started on July 1, 2013.
ONE Northside organizes people from over 100 institutions, as well as individual community residents, from Rogers Park, Edgewater, Uptown, Ravenswood, North Center, Lake View, and Lincoln Park.
Mission: One Northside is a mixed-income, multi-ethnic, intergenerational organization that unites our diverse communities. We build collective power to eliminate injustice through bold and innovative community organizing. We accomplish this through developing grassroots leaders and acting together to effect change.
Vision: We envision a diverse, united North Side of Chicago acting powerfully for our shared values of racial, social, and economic justice in communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Organizing Neighborhoods for Equality: Northside is an organization that brings people together based on our shared values:
Itzelle Garza - Environmental Justice Organizer
igarza@onenorthside.org
As a young person born and raised on Chicago’s Southwest side, Itzelle (she/her) has deep vested interest in her work. She joined ONE Northside in 2024 with over 7 years of experience organizing alongside her peers on intersectional issues through policy advocacy, community organizing, electoral work, and student activism. Itzelle hopes to use her experience to advance efforts being made by Chicago’s climate justice movement towards a greener and more equitable city. At the core of Itzelle’s motivation is a desire to build people power in historically marginalized communities in order for us to create the future we imagine. In her down time, Itzelle enjoys listening to music, crocheting, and playing with her dog Frankie.
Tharina Oris - Community Safety and Youth Organizer
toris@onenorthside.org
Tharina (she/her) has spent the last few years organizing communities all across the country to fight for public safety and a life free from all forms of violence. Tharina’s organizing philosophy starts and ends with recognizing one’s natural ability to be both a teacher and a student. Rather than recreate traditional hierarchies, Tharina gives leaders the tools to bring their full selves to the movement. When Tharina isn’t organizing around community safety, she spends her time roller-skating, crafting, and reading.
Ben Ishibashi – Climate Bank Organizer
bishibashi@onenorthside.org
Ben (they/them) has spent over a decade organizing in and with communities from California to West Virginia for a just transition away from fossil fuels and climate chaos. They are deeply committed to building grassroots people power that we so desperately need to build a world where working-class people, communities of color, and all oppressed people not only survive, but truly thrive. In their free time, Ben loves singing karaoke, going for long walks and picnicking at the beach.
Adrian Martinez – Outreach Worker
amartinez@onenorthside.org
Adrian grew up in Rogers Park and has lived there his whole life. He joined the team in 2024 as an Outreach Worker. He is excited to give back to his community. When he’s not at work he loves to spend time with his kids.
Hyrin Owens – Case Manager
howens@onenorthside.org
Ledarrel Goss El – Outreach Worker
lgossel@onenorthside.org
Ledarrel is a father of four, Uptown resident for over twenty five years, and a community activist since seventeen.
Deion Geiger – Outreach Worker
dgeiger@onenorthside.orgr
Isaac Dickson – Case Manager
idickson@onenorthside.org
Zerell Davis – Violence Prevention Program Supervisor
zdavis@onenorthside.org
Zerell is a Rogers Park resident and a big advocate for social justice and equality. He supervises our team of violence preventers for the Uptown and Rogers Park area, working boots-on-the-ground weekly. He became the team’s supervisor in 2022, three years after he was initially hired as an outreach worker. His goal is to continue doing this work for his community and staying productive and being a true pillar to his community.
Omar Dacres – Victim Advocate
odacres@onenorthside.org
Omar was born and bred in Rogers Park. He joined the team in 2024. He is passionate about fitness and wellness and wants to share that with the community in addition to providing excellent support to those who need it as our Victim Advocate. When he’s not at work, he is acting as Superdad to his three daughters.
Darrell Dacres – Violence Prevention Program Manager
ddacres@onenorthside.org
Darrell is a longtime resident of Rogers Park. He has truly experienced all aspects of our violence prevention program; Darrell started in violence prevention as a participant, then came on as a volunteer. In 2017, he was hired as a violence interrupter, then soon became an Outreach Worker. In 2019, he moved up to Program Supervisor, then became our Program Manager in 2021. His vision is to be the voice of the unheard people. Darrell was elected to the 24th District Police Council in 2023.
Khalil Cromwell – Lead Outreach Worker And Financial Coach
kcromwell@onenorthside.org
Khalil was introduced to the work of outreach through volunteering. He started by educating participants on the importance of credit education. Through his volunteer work, he was brought on as an outreach worker! Outside of work, Khalil enjoys connecting with the community through financial literacy.
Rolando Cabrera – Outreach Worker
rcabrera@onenorthside.org
Rolando joined the team in 2023. He grew up in Edgewater. He is committed to creative violence prevention solutions for Rogers Park and Uptown. In his free time he spends time with his family.
Shamim Zafar – Parent Mentor Coordinator
Shamim was born and raised in Pakistan, and completed her education there before becoming a teacher for four years. When she got married, she and her husband moved to the US, where she has now lived for more than 20 years. Shamim has three children in high school and college. She joined the Parent Mentor program to build bridges and connect with her community. She says the program helps parents realize they are valuable to their community because they create a space to find others with the same goals, interests, and struggles.
Miryam Steffens – Parent Mentor Coordinator
Miryam nació en Colombia donde trabajó con la comunidad y se formó como docente en el área de la natación y formación deportiva. Creó un club deportivo y, junto con su esposo, fueron dueños y administraron una tienda. Finalmente, se mudaron a Estados Unidos hace unos años atrás donde han sido acogidos muy bien por la bella ciudad de Chicago.
Hace dos años tuvo la oportunidad de entrar a formar parte de padres mentores y luego ingresó al equipo de Ebony DeBerry como coordinadora. Ha sido una gran experiencia y aprendizaje. También forma parte del grupo de padres voluntarios en la escuela Stephen K Hayt. De las cosas que le gusta hacer es compartir con su bella familia, hacer ejercicio y jugar con ellos. Le encanta trotar, nadar y leer.
Miryam was born in Colombia where she worked with the community and trained as a teacher in the area of swimming and sports education. She created a sports club, and along with her husband, they owned and managed a store. Finally, they moved to the US a few years ago where they have been warmly welcomed by the beautiful city of Chicago.
Two years ago, she had the opportunity to become a part of parent mentors and later joined Ebony DeBerry’s team as a coordinator. It has been a great experience and learning curve. She is also part of the group of volunteer parents at Stephen K Hayt School.
Among the things she enjoys doing is spending time with her beautiful family, exercising, and playing with them. She loves jogging, swimming, and reading.
Griselda Rodriguez – Parent Mentor Coordinator
Griselda está casada y es madre de 4 hijas y 1 hijo. Es originaria de México y ha vivido en este país durante 25 años, en el hermoso vecindario de Rogers Park. Es contadora y auditora privada capacitada. Durante más de 20 años ha sido voluntaria en la Escuela New Field, y también sirvió en el LSC en Eugene Field desde 2010 hasta 2014. Todos sus hijos asistieron a estas escuelas vecinas. Ha pasado muchos años como voluntaria en su comunidad, incluyendo en el Centro Comunitario Howard y en su iglesia, San Jerónimo. Se siente muy feliz y bendecida de ser la Coordinadora en su escuela porque le permite continuar haciendo con pasión el trabajo que siempre ha amado: servir a su escuela, comunidad, amigos y personas que puede apoyar. Está muy agradecida de que a través del programa de Padres Mentores ha conocido a más personas de diferentes países y valores, con tantos talentos y grandes corazones para participar en las escuelas con nuestros niños.
Griselda is married and a mother of 4 daughters and 1 son. She is originally from Mexico, and has lived in this country for 25 years, in the beautiful neighborhood of Rogers Park. She is a trained accountant and private auditor. For over 20 years she has been a volunteer at New Field School, and also served on the LSC at Eugene Field from 2010 to 2014. All her children attended these neighboring schools. She has spent many years as a volunteer in her community, including at the Howard Community Center and with her church, San Jeronimo. She feels very happy and blessed to be the Coordinator at her school because it lets her continue to do with passion the work she has always loved: serving her school, community, friends, and people she can support. She is very grateful that through the Parent Mentor program she has met more people from different countries and values, with so many talents and great hearts to participate in schools with our children.
Jasmine Qureshi – Parent Mentor Coordinator
Jasmine joined the team as a Coordinator in 2024. She is a lifelong North Sider. Jasmine enjoys finding activities around the city to do with her five-year-old, as well as feeding her love of history through visiting museums, taking classes, and genealogy.
Nellie Moreno – Parent Mentor Coordinator
Nellie is a mother of four, three boys and one girl, and a grandmother to one granddaughter and one grandson. She spent her childhood in Uptown, then moved to Rogers Park, where she raised her children. She spent 11 years working in immigration, and joined the Parent Mentor program after losing her mother inspired her to spend more time with her family. She feels blessed to be part of an amazing team!
ShaRon Kemrah – Parent Mentor Coordinator
ShaRon is the mother to three young sons that she calls her kings. She was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi and moved to Chicago when she was eight years old. As a young adult she came across a nonprofit organization called Howard Area Community Center where she worked for 10 years. ShaRon’s youngest son inspired her to work at his school, where she first encountered the Parent Mentor program. She became a Parent Mentor and loved working with the children and teachers, being involved in her son’s school, and seeing her son more during her time as a Parent Mentor. She quickly became our Parent Mentor Coordinator at McCutcheon Elementary School.
For fun, ShaRon enjoys going to concerts, basketball games, dancing, and reading horror and poetry.
April Harris – Parent Mentor Coordinator
April is a full-time mother to a daughter, and feels blessed to join the Parent Mentor Coordinator team. She was raised in York, PA, moved back to Evanston in 2010, and now lives in Rogers Park. She started working at 16 years old, as a personal assistant. In 2019 when working as Recess Aide at Jordan Community School, she learned about the Parent Mentor program. She worked as a Parent Mentor for 4 years before becoming a Coordinator. When she is not working, you can find April spending quality time with her family, going out to eat, enjoying our beaches, roller skating, swimming, playing cards, cooking, shopping, doing make up, or playing games.
Max Yenkin – Lead Organizer
myenkin@onenorthside.org
Max (he/him) comes to ONE Northside with 6 years of electoral and legislative experience across Chicago. Max works with our member institutions, partner organization, and their members to grow our political power to fight for the justice-based issues of ONE Northside. He joined the staff after leading our fight with the Bring Chicago Home coalition in 2023-24, and multiple cycles of electoral organizing. He lives in Edgewater with his partner and dog, and loves biking and cooking.
Becky Wanberg – Operations Manager
bwanberg@onenorthside.org | 773-769-3232 x117
Becky (she/her) joined the staff of the Organization of the Northeast (ONE) in 2010. She manages human resources and business compliance, maintains financial accounts, and ensures that administrative operations run smoothly. Her professional background ranges from work in corporate banking to regional theater. A Chicago-area native, Becky is proud to have raised her three children in this city and to be working to ensure that it is a safe and equitable place for all its residents.
Arieh Venick – Housing Justice Organizer
avenick@onenorthside.org
Arieh (he/him) is ONE Northside’s tenant organizer. Arieh has organized tenants in over 25 buildings across Chicago to win repairs and material concessions from their landlords. Arieh’s organizing practice is rooted in his own experience as a tenant in Chicago and his deeply held conviction that we can create a world without landlordism. When Arieh isn’t building tenant power he spends his time relaxing on the river, dancing to techno, and spending time with his friends and neighbors.
Derrick Turner – Custodian
Derrick (he/him) grew up in the Robert Taylor Homes, and now lives in Rogers Park. He began working for ONE Northside over 14 years ago. He says that he loves working with all his coworkers and remembers every single person who has been a part of our team over all that time. When he is not at work, you can find Derrick playing sports or watching a game– he is especially known as a White Sox fan. He also loves old Western movies!
Marie Rowley – Communications and Grants Manager
mrowley@onenorthside.org | 773-769-3232 x100
Marie (she/her) joined the staff of ONE Northside in 2022 eager to help share the stories of people-powered change. She came to Chicago in 2012 for graduate studies at UIC in urban history, and has a passion for Chicago’s history, architecture, and neighborhoods. In her free time, you’ll find Marie at a local museum, reading a novel, or rooting for the Vegas Golden Knights (her hometown hockey team).
Seri Lee – Deputy Organizing Director
slee@onenorthside.org
Seri Lee (they/she) is a community organizer within the immigrant, racial, labor, and reproductive justice movements. Born and raised in the Chicago area, they grew up in a working-class mixed-status household, experiencing personally and within their family many of the issues they’re working to transform. Before joining ONE Northside, Seri worked at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) as their National Campaign & Membership Director. Through their work at NAPAWF, they became the 2022 Chicago Foundation for Women’s Vanguard Award honoree. Seri holds a B.A. in Global History and Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies at Northwestern University and is currently pursuing a M.A. in Social Sector Leadership and Nonprofit Management at the University of Chicago. They dream of and work toward collective liberation.
Jesse Hoyt – Executive Director
jhoyt@onenorthside.org
Jesse (he/him) is a lifelong Chicagoan, raised in Ravenswood. He currently lives in Albany Park with his wife, Mary Claire. With more than a decade of experience in political, community, and issue-based organizing, Jesse has worked at the local, statewide, and national levels. He has worked on many issue-based campaigns, including the fight to win temporary drivers’ licenses for undocumented Illinoisans and the Healthy Illinois campaign, which successfully expanded Medicaid for undocumented seniors in Illinois. He has also campaigned to elect progressive candidates in Chicago and central Illinois. When he isn’t organizing, Jesse enjoys spending time hiking, playing soccer, and exploring the city with his dog, Odis.
Dordie Hester – Housing Justice Organizer – Homes Guarantee Committee
dhester@onenorthside.org | 773-769-3232 x113
Dordie (she/her) works with community members on legislation to support affordable housing including A National Homes Guarantee and the Illinois Repeal of the Rent Control Preemption Act. Dordie has a self interest in housing, having come from a family that has endured housing discrimination for more than eighty years. Before joining ONE Northside, Dordie lived and worked in Spain for over 25 years.
Hannah Gelder – Organizing Director
hgelder@onenorthside.org | 773-769-3232 x119
Hannah (she/her) began as an organizer at Lakeview Action Coalition in 2008 and has been with the organization ever since. She supports our organizers and issue teams to develop winning campaign strategies that build our organization’s collective power. She is passionate about making sure our government and other Big Institutions serve the interests of the people and the planet, rather than the corporate elite. She lives in Edgewater with her partner, Charles, their sons, Aylan and Oren, and their dog, Nessie. When Hannah isn’t organizing or spending time with her family, she might be dancing, eating delicious food, reading, or enjoying her hobbies including gardening, knitting, and competitive dog training.
Eliza Faigin – Avodah Organizer – Basebuilder
efaigin@onenorthside.org
Eliza (she/her) is a fellow with the Avodah Jewish Service Corps, and is working with ONE Northside as a basebuilding organizer. She will be building and strengthening relationships with our partner institutions and leading the Care Over Cost campaign. Eliza grew up in the metro-Detroit area and graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans in 2024 with a BA in Environmental Studies and Sociology. When she isn’t organizing, Eliza enjoys baking, reading, and spending time in nature.
Ebony DeBerry – Program Manager for Educational Initiatives
edeberry@onenorthside.org | 773-769-3232 x111
Ebony (she/her) runs the Women of Color Group and oversees the Parent Mentor program. She has lived in Rogers Park her whole life, attending CPS as a student and teaching there, as well as having experience as a youth worker and restorative healing conversations practitioner. She is devoted to the development and leadership capacity of Women of Color in her community. Ebony is also mother to Caleb, who currently attends Howard University and is an organizer in his own right.
