Claudia Oliveros

In the 1970s, Claudia Oliveros’s parents settled in DeKalb, Illinois, where they began building the deep roots her family still has in the community today. Claudia’s mother worked at a food production facility and her father in a factory contributing meaningfully to the community. Inspired by their entrepreneurial spirit, Claudia saw them start a small business that brought Latine families together, fostering strong community ties.

Claudia Speaks English and Spanish. As a child, she often helped her parents by translating for them while they ran their business in a language they did not know yet. That experience planted the first seed of Claudia’s passion for advocacy and language access. Claudia’s children were raised in DeKalb County where they have chosen to remain part of the vibrant community. 

After spending 17 years working in healthcare at a local hospital and being fluent in English and Spanish, Claudia went on to earn the “National Certified Healthcare Interpreter credential”, becoming one of the 250 individuals in Illinois to achieve this. This certification allowed Claudia to effectively bridge any language barriers and communicate important information to Spanish speakers, ensuring they receive the care and support they need. Her desire to serve, led her to one of Claudia’s most fulfilling experiences as she traveled multiple times to Guatemala to volunteer with Gracia’s G.E.T (Gracia Entrepreneur Training) Program. This initiative focuses on empowering low-wage young women by equipping them with the tools and resources needed for economic independence. An experience that allowed Claudia to make impactful differences in their lives.

Claudia’s commitment to community service led her to serve on the board of directors for “Conexion Comunidad”, a non-profit that was based in DeKalb County and to do volunteer work extensively for various non-profit organizations.

Motivated by a passion to give back to her low-wage community in new ways and recognizing the gap in services in DeKalb County and other rural areas, Claudia made it her mission to bring resources to the low-wage community joining FLAP in 2024 as a “Bilingual Outreach and Intake Assistant”. Later that year, she was promoted to “Bilingual Outreach and Intake Coordinator”. Claudia’s strong leadership led her to a promotion to “Bilingual Manager of Programs” in 2025, where she now manages programs implementation, execution of grants, and ensures FLAP’s visibility remains during community meetings. She also conducts community outreach and education reaching out to low-wage workers in the field, including at the Mexican Consulate’s mobile units, participating in community groups, and helping to ensure low-wage workers’ needs are met.

Claudia also has traveled to Springfield to advocate for a budget increase to support free legal services for low-wage workers and presently serves on the “DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership’s Program and Membership Committee”, a two-year commitment that began in 2026, where she helps shape upcoming programs offered to the low-wage community.

Since joining FLAP, Claudia has conducted more than 850 Know Your Rights presentations and assisted with dual citizenship cases. She remains committed to empowering others with her work, helping low-wage workers and their families.