The Carole Robertson Center is proud to announce that Board Member Christine Brambila has been recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a 2024 Notable Nonprofit Board Leader! Crain’s published a special editorial feature* in its December 2 print and online issues, highlighting Chicago leaders like Christine who bring their energy, expertise, and networks to the vital work of strengthening communities.
Christine’s professional achievements and profound contributions to the Center’s Board of Directors were key factors in the recognition. Her current positions on the Board are Co-chair of the Programs & Impact Committee, as well as Member of the Executive Committee and the Nominations & Governance Committee.
As an alumna of the Center’s early learning and youth development programs, Christine’s investment in our mission to educate, enrich, and empower children and families is deeply personal. In her years of service and leadership, she has helped us grow from an $8 million organization to a nearly $40 million organization, expanding our footprint in Chicago, Illinois, and beyond.
Christine brings a wealth of professional experience to her board service. As Senior Program Officer of Mental Health at the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation (ILCHF), Christine has partnered strategically with ILCHF grantees to advance children’s mental health across Illinois through a portfolio of 60 grants. She researches and presents funding opportunities for unmet and emerging needs for new arrivals, promotes DEI grant practices for Spanish-speaking grantees, and holds monthly meetings with grantees to promote cross-collaboration on statewide initiatives. She also presents at local and national conferences with evaluation partners to elevate innovative practices of ILCHF grantee partners and disseminate key findings across initiatives.
Christine delivers remarks during the Carole Robertson Center’s 60th Anniversary Commemoration of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
Prior to joining ILCHF, Christine served as the first infant/early childhood mental health consultation manager with Illinois Governor’s Office of Early Child Development. Building on a foundation of research and community partnership, she leveraged $3.2 million in Governor’s Emergency Education Relief funding to enhance infrastructure across state-agency partners (I/ECMHC). By leading a multilingual public awareness campaign, she was able to expand access to I/ECMHC to support the state’s youngest learners and the adults that care for them. Christine’s leadership significantly grew the consultation workforce, including doubling the number of consultants in the Department of Human Services Caregiver Connections program.
“Christine’s deeply engaged and passionate leadership has been instrumental in the Center’s growth and rising profile in our sector. Her partnership helped us to not only survive COVID-19 as an organization, but to emerge stronger — as a center of high-quality programs and as an effective advocate for systems change.” – Carole Robertson Center President & CEO Bela Moté
*The article containing Christine’s feature can be accessed by subscribers only.
Christine is pictured with her mother during Christine’s time attending programs at our Little Village site.
