The Chicago Community Trust recently announced it has selected Andrea Sáenz as the eighth president in the 107-year history of the organization.

Sáenz was named to the position on a full-time basis after serving as an interim president and CEO as well as chief operating officer over the last four years, according to a news release. She also is the first Latina president and CEO of the organization, which was founded in 1915, and succeeds Helene Gayle, the news release said.

“We are thrilled that Andrea has accepted our offer to serve as president and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust,” Jim Reynolds, chairman of the trust’s Executive Committee, said in the news release. "She brings a lifetime commitment to the issues central to the trust, and a solutions-oriented approach that will allow her to build on the incredible foundation of this prestigious institution."

Sáenz has a history of serving the community, dating back to her college years when she worked as a community organizer to help improve communities facing poverty and racism, according to the release.

Sáenz also headed evaluation, program design, strategy and organizational development for the Chicago Public Library, and served as chief of staff for the Chicago Public Schools and a policy adviser for the Department of Education Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education, according to the news release. In addition, she served as executive director of the nonprofit organization Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement, according to the release.

An immigrant from Ecuador, Sáenz was raised in Los Angeles and moved to Chicago as an adult. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies form Scripps College and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania, according to the news release. In 2019, she was selected by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of Chicago’s Most Powerful Latinos.