Claudia Oliveros

In the 1970s, Claudia Oliveros’ parents settled in DeKalb, Illinois, where they began building the deep roots Claudia’s family still has in the community. Her mother worked at a food production facility and her father in a factory, both contributing meaningfully to the community. Inspired by their entrepreneurial spirit, Claudia witnessed how their small business brought Latine families together, fostering strong community ties. Claudia’s children were raised in DeKalb County where they have chosen to remain part of the vibrant community. 

As a child, bilingual in English and Spanish, Claudia often helped her parents by translating for them while they navigated the system to run their business in a language they did not know yet. This experience planted the first seed of her passion for advocacy and language access. Claudia recognized the gap in services in DeKalb County and made it her mission to bring resources to the community. Her 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.

After spending 17 years working in healthcare at a local hospital, 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 young women by equipping them with the tools and resources needed for economic independence. An experience that allowed her to make small but impactful differences in their lives.

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 in Illinois, Claudia made it her mission to bring resources to the low-wage community joining the Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project-FLAP in June, 2024, as a “Bilingual Outreach and Intake Assistant”. Later that year, she was promoted to “Bilingual Outreach and Intake Coordinator”. Her work included of conducting community outreach and education in the flied and at the Consulate’s mobile unit in Illinois, supporting with grant implementation, participating in community groups, and helping ensure low-wage workers’ needs were being met connecting them with information and resources.

Claudia demonstrated strong leadership, led to her promotion in 2025 to “Bilingual Manager of Programs”, where she now manages programs implementation, execution of grants, ensures FLAP’s visibility remains during community meetings, reviews reports, and continues conducting community outreach and education reaching low-wage workers in the field, including at the Consulate’s mobile units, to ensure low-wage workers’ needs are met. She also supervises and mentors students and supporting their professional development.

Claudia 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 900 Know Your Rights presentations and assisted with several dual citizenship cases to keep families together. She remains committed to empowering low-wage communities with her work, helping low-wage workers and their families to thrive in the USA.