Senior Director

Chicago Department of Transportation / Greencorps Chicago

Drew holds a Ph.D. in Community Psychology and a Master’s in Geography, with a concentration in Community, Urban & Economic Development and is an Air Force Veteran. Born and raised in Chicago, Drew is passionate about workforce development and social service programs that assist underserved populations and communities to become more economically stable. Drew loves learning about African-American Ethnography and is a champion of Social Justice.

Program Director

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Andy Johnson, Program Director, is WRD’s lead for Greencorps Chicago. Andy has been working on the Greencorps program since 2005 and is responsible for all of WRD’s commitments to the Chicago Department of Transportation for the program. His primary role is to manage the budget, partner relationships, and overall quality of the program. He enjoys seeing the success participants achieve during the program, spending time outdoors, and watching English soccer.

Project Coordinator

Chicago Department of Transportation / Greencorps Chicago

Curtis Mckinney is a Project Coordinator for the City of Chicago Department of Transportation/Greencorps Chicago. Curtis works with the Program Director to ensure that the Grant Agreement between the City of Chicago and WRD Environmental is being fulfilled. He is a lifelong resident of Chicago who enjoys sports, traveling and spending time with his family.

Youth Program Coordinator

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Diana Cimino-Cordon is the Youth Program Coordinator at Greencorps Chicago. Her main goal is to provide Greencorps Youth Participants with a safe space to holistically grow and develop their sustainability skill set. She holds a BS in Behavioral Health and Wellness with a specialization in Nutrition from Illinois Tech. Previous to Greencorps, Cimino-Cordon served her community as an EMT-B, chronic disease health educator, lactation and perinatal consultant, published researcher, and curriculum developer for K-12 STEAM programming.

Workforce and Career Development Manager

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Mario Baxtrom is WRD Environmental’s Workforce and Career Development Manager for Greencorps Chicago.  He’s primarily responsible for providing employment mentoring to trainees in the subsidized employment experiences to assist in job orientation, developing positive workplace relationships, and reinforcing the standards of performance outlined in the Greencorps Chicago employee handbook. He also provides case management services to trainees during regular meetings on-site and during frequent visits to the trainees’ work sites

Saul Monreal 

Project Manager

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Saul Monreal is a Project Manager at Greencorps Chicago providing technical and logistical planning for vacant lot, ecological restoration, construction, and partner projects. He is passionate about urban sustainability and planning, conservation, ecology, and natural resources. Saul worked extensively in the field of ecological restoration before joining Greencorps Chicago in 2021.

Project Supervisor

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Project Supervisor

Signature Staffing / Greencorps Chicago

Jermaine Redmond is a strong and professional Supervisor where he helps lead the day-to-day operations. Jermaine is experienced in Pesticide Application, Wilderness Prescription Burning, and 10-Hour OSHA training. Jermaine began training in the field of Ecological Restoration in 2014 when he started at Greencorps Chicago.  He joined Applied Ecological Services in 2015 as a Restoration Field Crew Member on the Jackson Park Restoration project, eventually becoming Construction Supervisor in 2016. Jermaine is excited to share the knowledge he has gained from working in the industry with the crews he supervises this year.

Project Supervisor

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Sam is a Project Supervisor for Greencorps Chicago.  His role is to provide oversight and technical guidance on the many projects Greencorps trainees complete as part of the training program. Sam has an extensive background in ecological restoration, having worked for a native landscape contractor as well as the Chicago Park District natural areas team for many years. He also worked as a forestry consultant for utility construction projects across northern Illinois. In his free time, Sam is pursuing a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science and enjoys playing music with friends and spending time with his wife and two dogs.

Jr. Project Staff

Signature Staffing / Greencorps Chicago

Angela Rodgers is a 2016 Greencorps graduate who came back as an Advanced Crew member for that winter. She has experience leading crews on City Colleges of Chicago landscaping projects, construction projects with Chicago Park District and restoration projects with the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

Shop Supervisor

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Tavaras Short is the Shop Supervisor at Greencorps Chicago overseeing our daily operations. Tavaras came through Greencorps as a Crew Member in 2010 and transitioned to Crew Supervisor in 2011. By 2014, Tavaras was promoted to Operations Coordinator. In 2018, Tavaras moved on to a company called Cardno as Field Tech Supervisor.  In 2019, Tavaras returned to Greencorps using his knowledge and skills to help new trainees excel.

Office Manager

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Miranda is the Office Manager and in charge of overseeing office and administrative operations at Greencorps. Her prior experience includes working with environmental non-profits and the intersection of community, sustainability, and technology. When not in the office, she enjoys biking and gardening.