Desiree’ Lloyd, Operations Program Manager
Desiree’ joined West Side United in May 2021, and in October 2022, she was promoted from Administrative Assistant I to Operations Program Manager.
Desiree’ Lloyd is an administrative professional with 25+ years of experience. Desiree’ has a proven track record of being goal-focused, and achievement-oriented with office administration, special project management, and computer system operations. She has been known to perform challenging tasks under a wide range of circumstances which involve precision and close attention to detail. Desiree’ believes in thinking “outside of the box,” which allows her to achieve positive results.
Prior to her venture into the nonprofit sector, Desiree’ worked for several large corporations, including KPMG and Citibank. Desiree’ believes that if she could reach one person and make a difference and that one person tells another, she has already surpassed her goal.
Desiree’ has a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Liberty University. In her spare time, Desiree’ enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and church family.
Minyoung Do, Senior Data Analyst
Minyoung Do is a senior data analyst and researcher with a passion for using data to tell stories, discover insights, and guide decision making. At West Side United, she supports data and evaluation activities in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, as well as research and graphic design projects.
Minyoung has extensive experience in both quantitative and qualitative research in the social justice, public health, and education spaces. Prior to joining West Side United, she worked as a research specialist in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago.
She holds a Master’s degree in social sciences with a certificate in computational social science from the University of Chicago and Bachelor’s degrees in political science and gender studies with minors in race & ethnicity studies and Asian American studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Before she moved to Chicago, she worked at Asian Women United of Minnesota (AWUM) to provide legal and financial advocacy for domestic violence survivors.
Outside of work, Minyoung enjoys spending time with her dogs, trying out new restaurants, and traveling around the world.
Laura Christman, Budget & Grants Analyst
Laura Christman is a financial analyst for West Side United, stewarding grant funds for maximum programmatic impact. She is an avid gatherer of information, and enjoys both the analytic and interpersonal aspects of her role.
Prior to joining West Side United, Laura served as Grants Accountant for Youth & Opportunity United, a youth and family services organization in Evanston. Her earliest work in finance was for international development entities that grew out of ShoreBank, Chicago’s first community development bank. The more she learned about development work, the more her interest grew in the many ways that finance can promote equity.
Laura has been a book editor, Montessori teacher, teaching artist, and co-manager of a community-sponsored agriculture garden. She continues to serve in an advisory capacity for CodeCreate, an organization focused on the integration of art into technological learning for youth. Laura holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Veronica Pereyra, Community Engagement Coordinator
Veronica Pereyra is driven to help the community by cultivating relationships in Chicago’s diverse communities. She takes pride in helping community members connect to referrals, resources, benefits, and vital services. Her goals are to find strategies to better help the residents of the West side of Chicago.
Veronica has led efforts to bring community residents together. Prior to her role at West Side United she worked at SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) as a contact tracing for the Chicago Department of Public Health, conducted outreach to business owners, school administrators and community stakeholders via door to door canvassing. She also has extensive experience helping community members with Covid-19 information and education. Veronica also worked to support immigration efforts to help residents reach the path of citizenship.
In her spare time, Veronica enjoys traveling, road trips, and spending time with her family.
Ricardo Saucedo, Economic Vitality Fellow
Ricardo is a native to the Chicagoland region and proactively serves as an advocate in defending the welfare of their community. As an educator, researcher, and public servant, Ricardo devotes their time and energy to improving the lives of minoritized communities through policy reformation and dissemination of the various grassroots organizations they are affiliated with. Joining the WSU team as an Economic Vitality Fellow, their role will allow for driving ongoing programming as it relates to local procurement, impact investments, and overall community engagement.
In their free time, Ricardo enjoys cycling the lakefront, cooking, meditating with their cat Sol, and attending House concerts with friends throughout Chicago’s many venues.