Ron Manderschied - President

Ron Manderschied has been president of Northwestern University Settlement since 1981.  As president, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of both the Settlement and Noble Street Charter High School in Chicago and House In The Wood camp on Lake Delavan in Wisconsin.  Before coming to the Settlement, Mr. Manderschied served as director of Pillsbury House, a neighborhood-based social service and fine arts agency in Minneapolis, from 1972 - 1981.  Manderschied received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Sociology from the University of Minnesota and has completed graduate studies in social work.  He currently serves on the board of the United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA), a national association of settlement houses.

Tom Arvetis - Producing Artistic Director Adventure Stage Chicago at Vittum Theater

Tom Arvetis has been with the Vittum Theater since 2000.  He is responsible for defining and pursuing the artistic and educational goals that the Vittum Theater uses to serve the Settlement community. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the theater, the implementation of all programming, including the Season for Young Audiences, which serves over 12,000 elementary and middle school students annually from Chicago, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan, and the supervision of the theater staff.  Prior to taking this position, Arvetis served as the theater's Marketing Coordinator. As an arts educator, Mr. Arvetis has taught drama and playwriting to teens as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, and developed a summer theater workshop for teens at the Vittum Theater. Mr. Arvetis has performed, produced, co-directed and done sound design at a number of Chicago theater companies, and is an emeritus company member and classroom teacher with Barrel of Monkeys. He is a founding member of both the Chicago Family Theater Alliance and Chicago Artists Waging Peace, an artist collective that advocates for peace, justice and public awareness. Arvetis attained his B.S. in Theater Performance from Northwestern University in 1996.   He joined the board of The League of Chicago Theaters in 2007.

Susie Diaz - Executive Secretary

Susie Diaz began employment at the Settlement in October 1981.  She is Executive Secretary  to the President and serves as Clerk of the Board for Noble Network of Charter Schoos.  Her responsibilities

include working in direct communication with the board of directors, central committee and auxiliary boards.  Ms. Diaz assumes responsibility for organizing and preparing monthly board meetingsfor the Settlement and the School, handling secretarial and administrative work, recording incoming contributions and contractpayments, maintaining and providing the scheduling of room reservations for the entire facility, and providing direct supervision of the Settlement receptionist.  Diaz attended Holy Trinity Grammar School and is a graduate of St. Columbkille Business School.

Belna Reyes - Director of Emergency Services

Belna Reyes has lived in Chicago since 1981. As Director of Emergency Services, Ms. Reyes coordinates the Settlement's food pantry, crisis counseling, emergency services, Christmas basket, and school scholarship programs. Prior to coming to the Settlement, Reyes spent seven years at Chicago Commons/Taylor House as a pre-school and after school teacher. She earned an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Development and began working at the Settlement in 1991 as Lead Teacher in the Head Start program. In this position Reyes gained a deeper understanding of the needs of Settlement families. She continued her studies, changing her major to Social Services, and accepted the position of Family Worker for Head Start in 1998. Ms. Reyes received her Bachelors Degree in Social Services in 2003 and became Director of Emergency Services in 2004.

Val Wright - Director House In The Wood Camp

Val Wright has been the camp director at House In The Wood since 1984. She is responsible for the year around operation of the camp and oversees all aspects of the operation including programs, facility and support services like food, health, and transportation. The programs include an eleven-week summer resident camp, Settlement and Noble School weekends and our rental groups. The camp facilities in Wisconsin include 23 acres and twenty buildings. She has been a member of the American Camping Association, Wisconsin Section since 1985, and a board member since 1999. She is on the advisory board for Camp America, an international camp staff recruitment agency. She has a BA degree from Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio in elementary education with a concentration in outdoor environmental education.