Who We Are

 Chairman

King Harris is Chairman of Harris Holdings, a family investment company, and a Senior Fellow at the Metropolitan Planning Council where he has focused on metropolitan Chicago housing issues. He is Vice-Chair of the Museum of Contemporary Art and a Visiting Committee member of the University of Chicago’s School for Public Policy Studies. He also is a member of the Keystone Board of the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab. Previously, he was a Board member and Board Chair of the Francis Parker School, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Planning Council as well as a trustee of the University of Chicago between 1987-2018. Between 1971 and 2000 he worked for Pittway Corporation (NYSE), ending his tenure as President & CEO between 1987 and 2000. Between 1995-2018 he served as Board Chair of AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE). A graduate of Harvard College and the Harvard Business School, he served two years in the Peace Corps in Chile between 1965-1967 and an additional two and a half years in the U.S. Anti-Poverty program between 1969-1971.

Luz Ramirez

Vice-Chairman, Asset Management Committee Chair, Finance Committee Member

Luz Ramirez, Vice President of YWCA La Voz Latina, oversees the day-to-day functions of La Voz Latina programs by ensuring that services and programs are made available to high-need families and the Latino community to help them progress and become self-sufficient. Prior to merging with YWCA, she served as the Executive Director of La Voz Latina, Inc. for four years and worked for the Rockford Public Schools for 16 years, holding various positions within the district, including a position on the Superintendent’s Cabinet.

She is a Rockford native and Jefferson High School Graduate. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Masters in Administration and Supervision. She has over 25 years of experience and training in working with the Latino/Hispanic community and is currently an Adjunct Professor of Spanish at Rockford University.

In 2010 she was awarded the Latinos of Distinction award by La Voz Latina (prior to being employed by the organization), was recognized in 2014 by late Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka as a Leader in Education, and in 2015 was recognized by the Rockford Chamber of Commerce as one of the 20 People You Should Know.

Secretary, Audit Committee Member

Tommy Arbuckle is one the Managing Partners of AFE Construction, a construction management and general contracting company which his wife and he founded in 2002. In his role, he provides leadership and oversight for all levels of the organization from employee services, strategic planning, client management, pre-construction, operations, architectural design, marketing, and business development. Previously he served as Vice President of POINTCORE Construction and has over 24 years in a variety of senior leadership positions across many different functional disciplines at Caterpillar Inc.

He is native of Houston, Texas and received his Bachelor of Science degree from Prairie View A&M University which is a historical black college and university. Tommy has more than 28 years of expertise in construction management, product development, program & portfolio management, people development and continuous process improvement initiatives. He is passionate about the growth and development of women and minority owned businesses and actively mentors and train new business owners.

Tommy has previously served on the boards for the Crittenton Centers, Common Place Family Learning Center and participated on the City of Peoria Sustainability Commission. He is a member of the Peoria Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of their Community Leadership School. He is also a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and a 2011 recipient of the 40 Leaders Under 40 Award.

Asset Management Committee Member 

Sonia is a Realtor with Ruhl & Ruhl Realtors. She is dual licensed in Illinois and Iowa. Before getting her real estate license, Sonia was employed as the Director of Community Relations with Economic Growth Corporation and served as a Consultant for Bridge Investment Community Development Corp. and was the CRA Officer for Quad City Bank & Trust.

Sonia was a previous Moline Housing Authority commissioner. In April 2009, Sonia was elected to the Black Hawk College Board of Trustees. Prior to being elected, she was a member of the Black Hawk College Foundation Board. She was recruited by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to coordinate a “Financial Access to Immigrants” Conference in the Quad Cities. Sonia was selected by the Illinois Bankers Association to serve on the “Emerging Markets Advisory Committee”. She has previously served on the “New Alliance Task Force” through the FDIC. In addition, Sonia was named as a 2005 Quad City Area Leaders Under 40 Award recipient and recognized for her accomplishments by the 2005 Quad City Times Business Journal’s “Women in Business” and Class of 2007 Quad City Chamber of Commerce Federation Community Leadership. Sonia is on the Board of Directors of the First Tee of the Quad Cities. She was recently elected as President of the National Council of State Housing Board.

Asset Management Committee Member, Finance Committee Member

Daniel Hayes has almost three decades of commercial real estate investment and lending experience across multiple asset classes. He is currently a Senior Director – Structured Debt in the Chicago office of New York Life Real Estate Investors (NYLREI). In this role, Dan is responsible for the origination and closing of structured loans in the central United States, including construction, bridge and mezzanine financing. In addition to originations and asset management responsibilities, Dan has taken on direct leadership roles with NYLREI’s hotel lending platform and the firm’s diversity/inclusion committee. Prior to joining NYLREI, he has held similar debt and equity investment roles at Heitman, Hunt Investment Management, Capmark Finance, and GE Healthcare Financial Services. He began his career in commercial real estate investment with Low Income Housing Tax Credit acquisitions at The National Equity Fund. Dan has a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Masters in Regional Planning from Cornell University. Dan also holds executive certificates in seniors housing care and management as well as hotel real estate and asset management from Johns Hopkins University and Cornell University, respectively.

In addition to being a board member of the Illinois Housing Development Authority, Dan is also an active member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Audit Committee Member

Brice has over twenty years of banking experience in the areas of commercial, wealth management, credit, management, and business banking. He is the Champaign Market President for First State Bank (Monticello) where he oversees the bank’s Champaign County banking operation, being active in the community, and he continues to work with commercial and business clients. Brice holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Audit Committee Chair, Asset Management Committee Member

Tom is a Managing Director at H2C Securities Inc., an indirect subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank, NA.  He is also the founder and President of Morsch Expeditions, LLC. Previously, he was a Managing Director at Prager & Co., LLC. Prior to his time at Prager, Tom was a partner and Managing Director of Public Financial Management, LLC, where he co-led the firm’s public private partnership practice. Tom’s previous roles included several positions with the Marsh and McLennan Companies, as Midwest Real Estate Practice Leader and as a management consultant specializing in public-private work. Tom began his career working in a variety of positions for the Governor of Illinois, including as the Executive Director and CEO of the Illinois Tollway System for six years. Tom also has served as a board and advisory board member of the Metropolitan Planning Council and Community Partners for Affordable Housing. In addition, he was elected and served for three terms on the City Council of the City of Lake Forest and was appointed a member of the City of Lake Forest Planning Commission. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Beloit College.

Salvatore (Sam) Tornatore

Treasurer,  Finance Committee Chair

Sam is a principal in the Tornatore Law Office located in Bloomingdale and Roselle, and a member of the DuPage County Board. He is a former Trustee for both the Village of Roselle and Bloomingdale Township, and former member of the Roselle Zoning Board of Appeals. Sam is a graduate of the John Marshall Law School and DePaul University in Chicago.