Meet the Mentorship & Workforce Development Team
Maria Rivera
Director, Mentorship & Workforce Development
The year was 2001 when Patrick Magoon, former Lurie Children's CEO, said "yes" to the idea of creating a program that provides early exposure and pathways for teens of color to professional healthcare careers. In the summer of 2001, Maria hosted the first eight Discovering Healthcare Careers ("DHC") students. 20 years later she continues to bring the same passion, enthusiasm and innovation to Lure Children's. As a result of a successful pilot, DHC continues to grow and evolve each year. Maria celebrated 30 years at Lurie Children's in August 2022.
Jose Muñoz
Program Specialist
Jose first got his foot in the door of Lurie Children's in 2015 as an intern for our Discovering Healthcare Careers Program. A year later, Jose was brought back as a Summer Assistant for the 2016 DHC cohort. While working for GEAR UP as a College Access Facilitator, Jose worked with various CPS schools. Jose got his BS from NEIU in 2019. After 5 years with GEAR UP, Jose was hired as our Program Specialist.
Tavaris Kenny
Program Assistant
Tavaris is the newest addition to the Mentorship & Workforce Development Team. He started with our team as an intern in our Discovering Healthcare Careers Program in 2023, and returned the following summer as a Student Mentor to the DHC Class of 2024. Tavaris is currently attending Malcolm X College and plans to continue his education at Rush University to become an MRI Technologist. Tavaris is now officially our Program Assistant, and is excited to help other students achieve their goals in healthcare thorugh mentorship and suport.