Elba Aranda-Suh

Organization - Executive Director, National Latino Education Institute

County - Cook

Elba Aranda-Suh leads the National Latino Education Institute (formerly Spanish Coalition for Jobs, Inc.) as its Executive Director since 2008. The National Latino Education Institute (NLEI) is a nonprofit and nationally accredited. Ms. Aranda-Suh has secured millions in capital over the years to enhance its main campus. Ms. Aranda-Suh’s leadership was highlighted in the national publication: Latino Magazine for her expediency in managing a multi-million organizations with diversified funding maintaining low over-head and yielding high performance outcomes. Ms. Aranda-Suh was instrumental in launching the first bilingual healthcare training initiative for NLEI. Since its launch she has introduced new and expanded healthcare workforce education at NLEI substantially. She launched and pioneered bilingual electronic health records training and integration at the infancy of the Affordable Care Act; built incumbent healthcare workforce capacity building and enabled NLEI to become a national competency testing center for Allied Health. Today NLEI’s Allied Health offerings include disciplines in clinical, medical office management, customer service, nursing, pharmacy, cultural competencies, and technology. Elba led the design of a bilingual innovative digital literacy program infused with industry specific curricula and multi-media with the support of a national tech leader whereby NLEI delivered the first Bilingual Community Technology Centers in the state increasing educational access and computer competency. Ms. Aranda-Suh has expanded NLEI’s services and NLEI’s geographic presence from two locations to over seven satellite locations in Illinois. Launched the first accredited bicultural customer service & sales program in the country for disadvantaged Latinos. Demand has led to growth of business development post-secondary programs.