Our Team.
Our Chicago Veterans Board
Karen Hernandez, Executive Director
Karen Hernandez enlisted into the U.S. Army in 2008 and is currently a Medical Operations Officer for the 108th MMB. Karen graduated from Lewis University with a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science/Criminal Social Justice. Karen is the mother of an intelligent, highly energetic five-year-old who challenges her to continue excelling in her career fields every day. Karen currently serves as the Executive Director for Chicago Veterans.
Sidney Covington, Board Member
Sidney is a Chicagoland native, US Army Veteran and holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from New York University and a Bachelors Degree in Social Work from Georgia State University. Sidney is a Social Justice Advocate, Veteran Engagement Associate and a Afghanistan Veteran deploying as a combat medic in 2011.
Cindy Fernandez, Board Member
Cindy is a Recruiter and Leadership Development Coach where she focuses on supporting current and former educators to explore locally elected opportunities. Cindy has over 15 years of experience equipping organizations to achieve continued success through customer growth & retention. Having a passion for helping others, Cindy has been part of the Chicago Veterans community since 2014.
She is a first-generation Mexican American, Chicago native, community organizer, and travel enthusiast. She attended DePaul University and in her free time, enjoys strength training, spending time with her son, and volunteering at her local church.
Frank Gutierrez, Board Member
Hi, I'm Frank! My full bio is coming soon, please check back soon.
Justin Miller, Board Member
Having served for nearly a decade in the US Army and deploying twice to Iraq, Mr. Miller separated from the service in January of 2013 and has been involved in the veteran network in and around the Chicagoland area ever since. Mr. Miller has been a part of Roll Call Chicagoland since 2017 and serves as the Vice Chair of Operations role. As the Vice Chair of Operations, Justin leads all operational teams, including events, marketing and communications, membership engagement, and strategy efforts in order to sustain and grow the organization.
Justin also serves as the Executive Director for SVA Illinois, a regional model of the national Student Veterans of America organization. In his role, Justin leads and directs a nearly all-volunteer team that works to improve the lives and opportunities of student veterans here in Illinois and throughout its neighboring states.