Four accomplished alumni of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy will be recognized Friday, May 5 at the Alumni Awards Dinner held in conjunction with Harris Reunion Weekend. Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, Interim Dean and Sydney Stein Professor, and the Harris Alumni Council Awards Chair Heather George, EMP’19, will present Sylvia Puente, AM’90, with the Career Achievement Award; Ana Aguilera, MPP’13, with the Rising Star Award; and Kate Tomford, SM’07, with the CC Dubois Alumni Service Award. Minorities in Public Policy Studies will honor Barbara Barreno-Paschall, MPP’17.

Rising Star Award

Ana Aguilera, MPP’13

The Rising Star Award acknowledges a recent alumnus (within 15 years of graduation) who distinguished themselves early in their career, creating a positive impact in the execution of public policy.

Ana has over 11 years of experience in international development across 20 countries in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America. Most of her work at the World Bank focuses on two areas: (i) migration and forced displacement; and (ii) local resilience, participatory development and institutional strengthening. In her current role, she leads the World Bank ́s portfolio on migration, refuge, and social inclusion agenda in Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. She co-led the Colombia Social and Economic Integration of Migrants project, recognized by the Migration Policy Institute as the top 2 global innovation on migration in 2021. Previously, Ana worked at CAF Latin America ́s development bank, and advising firms and local governments in Latin America and the United States, including the City of Chicago and the City of Gary, IN. Ana graduated as an Economist from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas, Venezuela, holds a MSc. in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a certificate in Survey Methodology from the University of Maryland-University of Michigan Joint Program. She speaks Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French.

CC DuBois Alumni Service Award

Kate Tomford, SM’07

This distinction is awarded to an alumnus who has demonstrated a strong commitment to the school through their service and work to enhance the life of students, fellow alumni, and the welfare of the school, and it is named for the late Cynthia “CC” DuBois, MPP’10. For more information about CC DuBois and the legacy she leaves behind, click here.

Kate Tomford serves as the Senior Analyst for Energy in the Finance Department at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).  In this role, she manages and supports energy and environmental initiatives including CTA’s transition to a zero-emissions bus fleet, facility energy efficiency upgrades, procurement of energy commodities, and utility regulatory proceedings that affect CTA. 

Prior to joining CTA in 2016, Kate served as an energy and environmental policy advisor at the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and in the Illinois Governor’s Office.  She was the chairperson of the Illinois Electric Vehicle Advisory Council from 2011 to 2015 and led the Illinois Green Governments Coordinating Council from 2007 to 2009. 

For the past eight years, Kate has mentored Harris School students interested in energy and environmental policy and facilitated a network of Chicago-Area Harris alumni working in these fields.  Outside of her policy work, Kate currently chairs the board of directors at the Old Town School of Folk Music.  She is the mother of two children who attend the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, where she occasionally drops in to teach kids about such topics as public transit, recycling, and the power grid.  Kate holds an MS in Environmental Science & Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School and an AB in Earth & Planetary Sciences from Harvard College.

Career Achievement Award

Sylvia Puente, AM’90

The Career Achievement Award is presented to an alumnus who has served as a significant leader in the public, private, or nonprofit sector, creating meaningful positive change within their institution and society.

Sylvia Puente is the President and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum, a nonprofit that works for equity, justice, and economic prosperity on behalf of Latinos in Chicago and Illinois through public-policy advocacy and analysis on issues including education, housing, and immigration. Over more than a decade at the helm of the Forum, Puente has grown the organization into a central voice on Latino issues and has established herself as a thought leader in the arena.

In 2020, the Forum led the response to COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Latinos and communities of color by securing economic assistance for hundreds of affected families; advocating for them in conversations with city and state leaders; and compiling data, information, and resources for its Acuerdo partner network of over 130 local organizations serving the Latino community, which the Forum convenes, among other efforts.

Puente was selected by Governor JB Pritzker to serve on his transition team as part of the Educational Success Committee. She was recently appointed to the Restore, Reinvest, Renew Board and the State Housing Task Force. She was appointed by previous Illinois governors to the Illinois Early Learning Council, on which she still serves, and the Illinois Education Funding Advisory Board. She is also a board director of Advance Illinois, a public policy agency working to improve education in the state, and a member of Illinois Unidos, a consortium of local Latino leaders dedicated to addressing the public-health and economic impact of COVID-19 on Latinos statewide.

Puente is frequently cited as an expert on Latino issues and has published numerous reports and articles that articulate the vital role they play in society. She is a recipient of the Ohtli Award, Mexico’s highest recognition of those serving the Mexican community outside of Mexico, and received an honorary PhD for her social justice work from Roosevelt University in 2021. She has been recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S.”