David Sinski

Chief Executive and Vision Officer of Heartland Human Care Services

David Sinski

Mr. Sinski is the Chief Executive and Vision Officer of Heartland Human Care Services (HHCS). In this position, he leads the human rights work of HHCS and is committed to ending poverty and advancing justice through a wide range of programs aimed at ensuring safety, stability and pathways for long term success to thousands of program participants each year primarily in Chicago.

Mr. Sinski sets the vision for a team of human rights workers committed to delivering programming related to poverty reduction through contextualized literacy; vocational literacy/English as a Second Language; a continuum of housing services from homeless prevention to rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing for youth, adults, families and veterans; child welfare shelters for opportunity youth and unaccompanied immigrant youth; resettlement for refugees and counseling and safety planning for survivors of trafficking, domestic violence, or sexual assault.

Mr. Sinski joined Heartland in October 2012 with more than 20 years of experience in youth development and community-based programming. At After School Matters, he spent eleven years in various capacities including Chief Officer of Strategy & Innovation, Senior Program Director and Executive Director. Prior to that assignment, he served as Director of Youth Development Programs at Alternatives, Inc. Before joining Alternatives Inc., Mr. Sinski worked for Mujeres Latinas en Acción, delivering programs that addressed domestic violence, parenting, youth development, immigration issues and leadership development.

In addition to previously serving as Board Chair of Travelers Aid International and Adler University, Mr. Sinski has also served as Co-Chair of the Board for the Youth Leadership Institute in San Francisco, California; currently he is the Chair of the Partner Agency Council of the United States Committee on Refugees and Immigrants and a board member of Illinois Partners for Human Services and Chicago Public Media. Mr. Sinski is a Chicago Community Trust Fellow, Class of 2014 and received a B.A. from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and an M.A. in Guidance and Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago and has practiced as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois.

As the Chief Executive and Vision Officer, Mr. Sinski is thrilled to engage more stakeholders by sharing the inspiring work and vision of HHCS for a more just and equitable society in which we all participate, prosper and reach our full potential.

Becky J. Frederick

Chair of Heartland Human Care Services

Becky J. Frederick

Becky started her career as a labor and employment attorney practicing in both Illinois and Indiana. She served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the City of Chicago’s Law Department for two years before she accepted the role of General Counsel in the Departments of Streets and Sanitation. After a decade of practicing law, Becky moved into the HR arena where she served as a senior leader managing a complex HR function that included labor relations, employee relations, talent management, payroll, compensation, and benefits.

After serving the Chicago Park District in the senior HR role, she left the public sector to launch her strategy and management consulting business, Workplace Strategy. Founded in 1996, Workplace Strategy has successfully served clients in the non-profit, association, and corporate sectors. Working closely with her clients, Becky crafts unique solutions to develop high-performance workplaces – and employees who are actively engaged and goal-oriented. She engages her network of business consultants when their expertise adds additional value to the client.

In addition to serving as chair of the Heartland Human Care Services Board, she serves as a Board member with Fernwood Botanical Garden in Niles, Michigan where she is chair of the Governance Committee and chair of the Strategic Planning Task Force.

James Baldwin

Board Member

James Baldwin

James (Jim) is the Chief Financial Officer for Metropolitan Family Services (MFS), a human services non-profit in Chicago with over a $200M budget and a wide range of programming including violence intervention, behavioral health, early childhood education, workforce development, and legal aid.

Before MFS, James was CFO of Haymarket Center and prior to that assignment, he was the Chief Accounting Officer of Heartland Alliance. He started at Heartland Alliance as the Controller for Heartland Human Care Services.

James is a Certified Public Accountant with extensive public accounting experience and received his MBA from Loyola University. He has served on the Boards of Erie Elementary Charter School, Career Transitions Center of Chicago, The Back Office Cooperative, Chicago Area Peace Corps Association, and the National Peace Corps Association. James served as a Peace Corps Volunteer for over two years in Azerbaijan where he primarily focused on micro-finance and consulting to farmer groups and women-owned businesses.

Alicia Gonzalez

Board Member

Alicia Gonzalez

Alicia, born and raised in Pilsen and Little Italy in Chicago, has devoted her entire career to championing equal opportunities for children to thrive. Alicia currently serves as the Chief Sports Impact Officer for the YMCA Metro Chicago, where she oversees strategy, implementation and evaluation for youth sports and aquatics programs for the YMCA’s 14 community hubs.

Prior to the YMCA, Alicia served as the Executive Director of Chicago Cubs Charities, where she led Cubs Charities’ philanthropic and programmatic investments in Chicago communities. Alicia transitioned to the Cubs in 2018, after serving for ten years as the Founding Executive Director of Chicago Run, a local non-profit that provides free sport-based youth development programs to more than 15,000 Chicago Public School students. Prior to Chicago Run, Alicia served as the head of Hispanic Business Development for First American Bank.

Alicia’s roots are in the community and prior to working in the private sector, she held positions as a community organizer and youth development program director in both Chicago and Boston. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for Heartland Human Care Services, Alicia also serves on the Board of Trustees for Loyola University Chicago. Alicia graduated with honors from Brown University.

Carrie E. Hamilton Sussman

Board Member

Carrie Hamilton Sussman

Since July 2015, Carrie has served as a Judge on the Circuit Court of Cook County. Currently, Carrie hears civil matters at the Markham Courthouse.

Prior to becoming a judge, Carrie served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Chicago for over 14 years. During her tenure as a federal prosecutor, Carrie served as a Deputy Chief in the Public Corruption Section. She was one of the lead prosecutors on the corruption trials of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, for which she received the United States Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service and the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Criminal Investigation.

While at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Carrie helped start a federal program combating prostitution of minors and served as the coordinator for federal programs related to child exploitation, child prostitution, human trafficking and violence against women. For her substantial work combating child exploitation and child prostitution, she won the Cook County Crime Stoppers, Excellence in Law Enforcement Award and the United States Postal Inspection Service, Inspector-In-Charge Award.

Carrie serves as an adjunct professor at the Northwestern University School of Law, teaching a seminar in Human Trafficking and the Trial Advocacy Program and served as a trial advocacy instructor at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center.

Andrea Ingram

Board Member

Andrea Ingram

Andrea Ingram is an experienced lawyer, public policy advocate, social service agency executive, and a cultural institution thought leader. She currently serves as the President and CEO at DuPage Children’s Museum (DCM), striving to ensure that all children thrive through access to extraordinary learning experiences.

Before joining DCM, Ingram served as Vice President of Education and Guest Services at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) for 13 years where she led the development of nationally recognized strategies, teams, and programs responsible for all aspects of the guest experience and learning. In this role, Ingram leveraged networks and content knowledge acquired during her time as Chief of Strategic Partnerships and Information for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), and as the Director of Budget and Tax Policy for Voices of Illinois Children. Ingram’s decade as an advocate and solution builder in her role as a business litigator in a San Francisco law firm remains foundational to her work.

Ingram earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the American University. In addition to serving on the Board of Heartland Human Care Services, she is a proud member of The Chicago Network, and recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Council on Science & Technology.

Dr. Nataka Moore

Board Member

Dr. Nataka Moore

Dr. Nataka Moore is on faculty at Adler University in the Department of Psychology and is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of clinical and academic experience. She currently sees individuals and couples in her private practice. As a human rights activist, Dr. Moore has led major social justice-based international initiatives and won the 2019 social justice award at Adler University for her work.

In Cuba, Dr. Moore’s work centered around racial equity and women’s rights as she co-led a delegation of 19 women through her work with the U.S. Women and Cuba Collaboration. She has been recognized by the Women Issues Committee through the National Council of Schools of Professional Psychology and was awarded the 2017 Diversity Award for her commitment to women’s issues and intersectionality.

In the Dominican Republic and Liberia, she worked with issues related to human rights and mental health. Through the support of a Department of State grant and an Adler University Seed grant, Dr. Moore has partnered with Malagasy professionals in Madagascar to address post-partum depression with rural Malagasy women. She is also leading several mental health initiatives in Chicago at large, including programming in communities that are underserved for the promotion of well-being and health behaviors. Additionally, Dr. Moore provides mental health education and screenings across Chicagoland.