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 is 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 insure 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 primary goal is to provide Greencorps Youth Participants with a safe space to holistically grow and develop their skill set in the field of sustainability. 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 & Placement Coordinator

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Tim July grew up in Detroit, Michigan and is the placement coordinator/project supervisor at Greencorps Chicago.  His history of working as an independent contractor and his experience as a union steward have been useful in helping employees currently working for Greencorps make the transition to their next opportunity.  Tim has been able to identify breakdowns in communications and help individuals name their needs and expectations to negotiate a resolution.  He stresses the importance of professionalism and attention to detail in the workplace and impresses upon employees that they will be able to utilize these tools to leverage their individual successes at work and in their personal lives.

Project Supervisor and Training Coordinator

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Project Supervisor

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Rachael is a Project Supervisor for Greencorps Chicago.  Her role is to provide technical guidance and project oversight for the Greencorps trainees with a background in natural resources management.  Rachael has been working within the corps network since 2009 in various capacities such as partnering with non-profits, private contractors, and governmental agencies.  Her previous experience includes ecological restoration, green infrastructure installations, and NPDES compliance.  In her personal time, she enjoys strolling regional natural areas with her dogs.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

Office Manager

WRD Environmental / Greencorps Chicago

Miranda is the Office Manger 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.