Manny Rodriguez, Executive Director Manny Rodriguez has spent 15 years in both economic and workforce development and has been a tireless advocate for underserved communities. He is a co-founder and Executive Director of Revolution Workshop, a pre-apprenticeship construction training program in Chicago with a mission to train and place marginalized residents into family-sustaining careers in the skilled trades. Manny currently sits on the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board (IWIB) Apprenticeship Committee, the IWIB Equity Task Force, and serves as the team lead for the Pre-Apprenticeship Working Group.
He served as the Vice President of Economic Development for the Alliance for Illinois Manufacturing for seven years, where he managed a team that assisted several hundred manufacturing businesses in Illinois retain and grow their businesses. After his time at the Alliance, Manny was the Senior Director of Replication for the Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC), an organization dedicated to assisting marginalized individuals obtain careers in manufacturing. At JARC, Manny was responsible for the successful completion of their first out-of-state expansion to Baltimore, MD. He went on to become the Education & Safety Director for the Associated Builders and Contractors, Illinois Chapter, Inc. where he was responsible for overseeing a state-wide United States Department of Labor registered program that trained over 300 individuals a year in the construction trades.
Manny also has a passion for education and is a co-founder of the University of Illinois Latina/Latino Alumni Association an organization dedicated to providing scholarships for Latino students and mentorship opportunities for Latino alum of the University of Illinois. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Latina/o Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
He served as the Vice President of Economic Development for the Alliance for Illinois Manufacturing for seven years, where he managed a team that assisted several hundred manufacturing businesses in Illinois retain and grow their businesses. After his time at the Alliance, Manny was the Senior Director of Replication for the Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC), an organization dedicated to assisting marginalized individuals obtain careers in manufacturing. At JARC, Manny was responsible for the successful completion of their first out-of-state expansion to Baltimore, MD. He went on to become the Education & Safety Director for the Associated Builders and Contractors, Illinois Chapter, Inc. where he was responsible for overseeing a state-wide United States Department of Labor registered program that trained over 300 individuals a year in the construction trades.
Manny also has a passion for education and is a co-founder of the University of Illinois Latina/Latino Alumni Association an organization dedicated to providing scholarships for Latino students and mentorship opportunities for Latino alum of the University of Illinois. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Latina/o Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.