Andrés J Fernández

Andrés has worked in nonprofit and government for over 34 years.  He started his career as an employment training specialist working with adults with disabilities in supportive employment sites.  His first nineteen years in the nonprofit world were focused on workforce development services with youth and adults with disabilities.

As Director of Youth Services for the City of Chicago, Andrés oversaw grantmaking for youth servicing agencies across Chicago, specifically in out-of-school time, counseling, mentoring, and workforce development projects.  He also helped in implementing special projects in the areas of violence reduction and summer jobs for youth.

Before joining the State of Illinois, Andrés was the Chief Operating Officer for a local nonprofit. He helped this organization expand services outside Chicago to other counties and Puerto Rico. In addition, he led growth in several areas, including early childhood programming and services for dually-involved youth in Illinois.