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MEDICAID NOTICE: Lurie Children’s continues to serve all patients enrolled in Medicaid. As a safety-net hospital, we will continue providing high-quality care to every child who needs us.

AVISO SOBRE MEDICAID: Lurie Children’s continúa atendiendo a todos los pacientes inscritos en Medicaid. Como hospital perteneciente a la red de protección social, continuaremos brindando atención de alta calidad a cada niño que nos necesite.

Lurie Children’s Home Serving the CommunityPatrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy CommunitiesTraining a Diverse WorkforceMentorship & Workforce DevelopmentAbout Us Meet the Team

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.

Angel Alcazar, MBA

Manager, Mentorship & Workforce Development

Angel is a strategic leader with over 13 years of experience spanning patient care, community health, higher education, and workforce development. He began his career at Lurie Children’s Hospital (formerly Children’s Memorial) as an intern in the Human Resources department and most recently served as Director of Enrollment and Outreach at National Louis University, where he spearheaded initiatives to support student enrollment and retention. Now, as Manager of Mentorship and Workforce Development at Lurie Children’s, Angel oversees programs that provide participants with equitable access and exposure to healthcare careers. Angel collaborates and consults with children’s hospitals across the country, as well as local organizations and partners, to exchange ideas and enhance workforce development programs. As a proud Chicagoan and alumnus of Lurie Children’s workforce development internships, he leverages his firsthand understanding of these transformative programs to build pathways and partnerships that promote professional, social, and economic mobility for underrepresented youth. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Health Sciences from DePaul University and an MBA from National Louis University, along with certifications in trauma-informed supervision, grant writing, data collection, and remote group facilitation.

Sharon Alvarado

Program Specialist

Sharon started with our team in 2019 as Program Assistant, and in 2020 she transitioned into our Program Specialist. She graduated from UIC with a BA in Sociology & Political Science. She is a Chicago Native, constantly looking out for resources to help out the community and engaged in community efforts through her work with us and on her own. Sharon has returned to get her Master in Social Work at Loyola Chicago University and hopes to return down the line as a Medical Social Worker in Pediatrics.

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.