Manny Rodriguez (Director of Urban Initatives)
Manny is responsible for overseeing our urban initiative projects and manages the Local Industrial Retention Initiative (LIRI) program and the TIF Works Pilot Project. Manny is also responsible for developing and implementing Chicago-based marketing campaigns and instrumental in our client outreach and assessment efforts. Prior to joining the Alliance/NORBIC, Manny spent a year and a half with the Chicago Federation of Labor Workers Assistance Committee (CFLWAC) where he worked with manufacturing companies and unions to help place dislocated workers into high-road manufacturing jobs. He also worked on establishing a consortium of manufacturers and workforce agencies to address the issues that were affecting the manufacturing sector. Manny graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Business Administration and an interdisciplinary minor in Latina/o Studies. Manny continues to be involved in his community and serves on the Auxiliary Board of Alternatives Inc.