At the last ILA, a number of people asked where the Gamaliel office is located and just who works there, and what they do. You will find profiles (in alphabetic order) of Gamaliel staff members who work in the Chicago office below. It should be noted, however, that Don Burton works primarily from his home office in Racine, WS, a short train ride from Chicago, but since he is in the Chicago office frequently, he is included here as part of the Chicago staff.
The location of the Chicago office is: 203 N. Wabash Avenue, Suite 808, Chicago, IL 60601
Telephone: 312-357-2639 FAX: 312-257-6735
Don Burton is the Director of Communication for the Gamaliel Foundation, which means he has long been responsible for all the print materials emanating from Gamaliel as well as the very existence of the Gamaliel website. In fact, he’s been into computers since he “maxed-out” his credit cards to buy his first personal computer over 20 years ago. He is grateful he is now getting more assistance as the network’s activities continue to grow. He was a founding pastor of Racine Interfaith Coalition and a founder of Wisconsin’s Regional organization, WISDOM, and has been active in the Clergy Caucus. Upon his retirement after 35 years of public ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, he was the recipient of the first Distinguished Service Award to be granted by the Racine Interfaith Coalition. He and his lovely wife Julie are the parents of four children and grandparents of ten grandchildren.
Hannah Clark is the cheery, informed young woman who, in addition to answering the Gamaliel office phone, usually has the answers you’re looking for. She is the Office Manager and is often the first-line in making a positive public relations impression. Her responsibilities include processing expense reimbursement requests, daily accounting, and facilitating logistics related to Gamaliel events, such as registration and check-in. She grew up in an exurb of Boston, Massachusetts, and is a political science graduate of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has travelled extensively in the U.S., Europe and Asia. And she is learning to play guitar and hopes to compete in the Elephant Polo World Cup! Way to go, Hannah!
Gregory A. Galluzzo has been a community organizer since 1971. That fact alone could very well comprise a complete biographical profile. It should be noted, however, that he has been Gamaliel’s Executive Director from 1986 to the present. As such, he has ultimate responsibility for the overall operation of all Gamaliel’s activities and plans for the future. We works directly with the Gamaliel Board, national staff and territory directors. He spends much of his time, however, pursuing his first love—training community organizers. He is invariably a trainer at Gamaliel’s scheduled training events. He also trains at smaller affiliate events, is available for consultations at various network affiliates across the country, in South Africa and the United Kingdom, and is instrumental in getting new organizations started. He is married to Mary Gonzales, Gamaliel’s Western Territory Director and Director of Ntosake.
Mario Gonzalez calls himself Gamaliel’s I.T. guy. Indeed, this newsletter would not reach your in-box were it not for him, to mention only one small aspect of what he does. His responsibilities include maintaining networks, maintaining the integrity of the databases, and all related I.T. functions strictly on the technical and maintenance side. He has worked in this field for about 10 years with a focus on web development. He is fluent in English and Spanish and is knowledgeable in leading web scripting languages. He did online audio streaming back in 2000 before it was a normal everyday thing. For example, he and some friends broadcast the Fiesta del Sol main stage events to their group of listeners during the four days of the festival. He still maintains relationships formed with clients at the beginning of his career.
Deitric Johnson has been with Gamaliel for a little over two years now. He is Gamaliel’s Chief Administrative Officer, a position that was created to accommodate the needs that have arisen as a result of Gamaliel’s growth over the last several years. He oversees all management operations, which include financial, human resources, office administration, and I.T. He hails from Houston, Texas, and is a graduate of the University of Houston as well as Brown University. Previously he was an Investment Banker at Bank One. He likes to travel and is an avid tennis player. He lives in downtown Chicago and enjoys being able to walk to work!
Ann Smith is President of the Gamaliel Foundation, a position she assumed following service as Associate Chancellor and Director of Community Relations at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She was formerly Vice President of Endow, Incorporated, a Trustee of the University of Illinois, and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Northeastern Illinois University. As president, she is the administrator of Gamaliel’s national office, functions as Gamaliel’s public spokesperson, and supervises all external communications, public relations and marketing. She earned a PhD. from Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has received an honorary degree Lincoln University, her alma mater. She is a noted lecturer and interpreter of poetry as well as a motivational speaker.
