Mihai Lehene

Honorary Member 
Board of Directors 
RUF Founder & President
Founder  Volunteer (full)  Teacher 
Mihai is the Owner of MDL Investments, a real-estate and VC family-office with a focus on emerging technologies, including fintech, biotech and crypto. In 2020 Mihai resigned his business roles to run RUF, and in 2022 he was elected as President of FORA.
www.romanianunitedfund.org
 
Diana Dram

Honorary Member 
Board of Advisors 
ROCO Biz
ROCO Biz Lead, Board of Directors
Diana is acting as Global Strategic Sourcing Director with McDonald’s. She leads business relationships and strategies that leverage scale for positive impact on the environment and communities globally.
 
Maria Molnar

Member 
Dentist & Community Health Advocate
Irina Nedeljkovic

RUF Core Team Member, "Trips To Romania" Program Manager
Staff 
I am a dedicated member of the Romanian United Foundation (RUF) Core Team, I'm serving as the "Trips to Romania" Program Manager. Born and raised in Romania, I immigrated to the United States in 2006 at the age of 23. At RUF, I coordinate annual Trips to
 
Simona Oarga

Honorary Member 
Founding Angel, Chicago, IL'}} <-- Note: JSON closed incorrectly. Please produce corrected validJSON
Volunteer 
Simona Oarga assists taxpayers and small businesses with taxes in Chicago IL and the surrounding communities. Whether you are an individual or a local business in or around Chicago IL, Simona C. Oarga has years of valuable experience as an IRS registered
 
Dragos Iliescu

Member 
ROCO Biz
Community builder and sustainability advisor
Staff 
Finance professional with more than 12 years of experience in sustainable/impact investment
 
Madi Bucheru

Director of Marketing and Communication
Staff 
Experienced Fundraising Professional and non-profit strategist with 18 years of experience in the European and US fields. I teach fundraisers how to organize their 1st fundraising campaign. I lived, studied and worked in Silicon Valley for 9 years.
fierce-speaker-6456.ck.page/e58916339d
Cristian Merdariu

Member 
Board of Directors 
ROCO Biz
Founding Angel, RCC Chicago Ambassador
Cristian is co-founder and owner of City Habitat Realty, a successful real estate company in Chicago. He believes Romanians should work harder to express and identify themselves as one nation, to earn their own sense of value and the right to be proud.
www.cityhabitatchicago.com
 
Constantin Raduca

Founding Angel 
Angel Funding,Supporter of ROCO
Volunteer 
aicarmove.com
 
Claudia Petrache

Founding Angel 
Board of Directors 
Claudia is a Romanian and U.S.-qualified attorney specializing in pharmaceuticals and life sciences. She is working as in-house counsel for AbbVie Inc.
Oana Dobrean-Urzica

Member 
ROCO Executive Director, Board of Directors
Staff 
Oana is the Executive Director of ROCO. Prior to this role, she was one of the most active volunteers. She believes in the strength of our community, in doing good , and in leaving something worthwhile behind.
 
Ana Grecu

Member 
Ambassador and Supporter of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
Volunteer 
I love to be involved in community projects! Ready to be involved in projects to make others people life better! Being helpful is what i love to do!
 
Monica Zaha

Member 
Volunteer 
Gabriela Hanta

Member 
Supporter of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
Volunteer  Teacher 
Since she moved to Chicago, Gabi’s Romanian roots became stronger. She believes in community and giving back and wants her children to be proud Romanians. She’s been a passionate teacher of Italian for over 25 years.
 
Romina Ionascu

Member 
Executive Assistant
Staff 
Originally from Romania, I relocated to the US in 2013 with a Bachelor's degree in Economics. Currently, I serve as the administrative expert at RUF, where I handle all accounting and administrative issues. I have a passion for teaching young children.
Onita Circu

Founding Angel 
Real Estate Investor & ROCO Board Member
Volunteer 
Real estate investor with over 15 years experience in accounting and property management. Graduated from Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania with a Bachelor's degree in International Business. "Helping others it's a core part of who I am"
 
Monica Horga

Member 
RUF Founding Member, ROCO Teens Program Co - Lead, Lead Volunteer
Founding Member  Volunteer 
Camelia Bratu

Founding Angel 
Board of Advisors 
ROCO Biz
Volunteer 
A clinical research professional in Las Vegas, Camelia is passionate about uniting the first-generation Romanian community, and dedicated to promoting cultural projects like Via Transilvanica and fostering community connections.
 
Matei Busu

2025 Global Romanian Youth Board President
Volunteer 
Hi, I'm Matei Busu and I'm the President of RUF Youth 2025 and co-leader of RUF's Youth Data Team. Currently, I'm a senior at Maine South, and in the past I've helped co-lead classes in programming and finance at RUF. I'm a huge Chicago sports fan.
Simona Vasile

Founding Angel 
Board of Advisors 
Tax Principle at BDO US, Board member at FORA and ROMAMPRO, Board Advisor at RUF
Volunteer 
www.romampro.org
Ioana Guset

Member 
Board of Directors 
Mihaela Campion

Member 
Founder, Psychotherapy and Transformational Movement and ARCHER
Mihaela is the founder of the Psychotherapy and Transformational Movement with over twenty-two years of clinical experience. She received an MA in Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, specializing in Counseling Psychology.
revivaltherapy.com/about/about-mihaela-campion
 
Sebastian Burca

Member 
Board of Advisors 
Executive Director, Stigler Center
Sebastian Burca is the Executive Director of the Stigler Center at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He oversees the center's operations, research initiatives, and programming focused on promoting competitive markets.
Adrian Nechiti

Member 
ROCO Arts Lead, Founder Vox Maris Band
I always felt that something was missing in our Community, in Chicago, a central point of connection for our people. It was a dream "if somebody would open a Community Center for all of us, that would be nice ..."
 
Gabriela Cosma

Member 
Program Coordinator "Learn Romanian", Supporter of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
Volunteer 
Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Masters of Arts in Teaching from National Louis University. She taught Science, Social Studies, and English as a Second Language to refugees from the Middle East in public school
Paula Telcian

ROCO Chicago: Community Outreach Liaison
Volunteer 
A dedicated leader that volunteers through her church and Romanian Community in Chicago. Passionate about teaching her culture, traditions, and faith to children and youth, organizes various social, cultural, and religious events in the community. Studie
 
Luminita Ispas

Member 
National Speaker in Financial Education & Real Estate Investments
Volunteer 
Luminita (“Lumi”) Ispas has been an award-winning top producer, an effective team leader, and a successful real estate investor & developer for more than 20 years.
luminitaispas.com
 
Violeta Balan

Volunteer 
 
Marcus Surcel

ROCO Biz
Supporter of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
With over 20 Years of Real Estate sales and property management experience and as a licensed and certified manager of Comunity Associations, Dana provides top-notch service with every aspect of purchasing and selling a home.
www.realtor.com/realestateagents/56c4b4370fa417010075e92b
 
Catalin Maticiuc

Founder & CEO, Forza Companies
Volunteer  Teacher 
Catalin is passionate about real estate investing, passive income, and world traveling.