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| Affiliation | Independent |
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| Name | Angel L. Rivera |
| Address |
Chicago, Illinois , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
Unknown
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| Contributor | ev |
| Last Modifed | ev
Mar 28, 2007 07:23pm |
| Tags |
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| Info | Angel Rivera, 41, is vying to become the 41st governor of Illinois.
In July, Rivera began filing notice with the county clerks throughout the state that he intends to be a write-in candidate on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Amid a hectic life that includes serving as Lung Transplant Procurement Coordinator at The University of Chicago Hospital, Rivera is waging a campaign out of dissatisfaction with the platforms and mud-slinging of both incumbent Rod Blagojevich and challenger Judy Baar Topinka. In addition, he believes his organizational and leadership experience qualify him to lead the state more ably than his better-known opponents.
As the election approaches, Rivera will be spearheading a grassroots campaign that emphasizes education, healthcare, creation of jobs, caring for the elderly, reducing corruption and increasing efficiency in government.
Born and raised in Chicago, Rivera is the fourth of six children born to Angel and Clara Rivera. His father immigrated to the United States from Puerto Rico and his mother was among 14 people whose harrowing escape from Cuba in 1960 was documented in an issue of Life magazine.
Rivera worked at his parents’ grocery-store chain while growing up and his mother was a teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. He is a 1983 graduate of St. Benedict High School in Chicago, where as a senior he was president of the student council. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps before receiving an honorable discharge. Rivera received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, both in organizational leadership, from Dominican University in River Forest.
For the past nine years, he has been instrumental in helping more than 300 people receive heart, liver, kidney, small-bowel and lung transplants. Before becoming a Lung Transplant Procurement Coordinator at The University of Chicago Hospital, his previous work history includes a 6 ½-year tenure in a similar role at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. In all, he has spent more than 20 years in the medical field.
Three television documentaries have chronicled his work, including a PBS production that was part of a series on children’s hospitals as well as “Saving Bella,” a two-hour piece on a rare double-transplant for a 2-year-old girl, Bella. That program aired in 2001 on MSNBC and Dateline NBC. In addition, Rivera was among those profiled in “Running For Lives,” an Oct. 17, 1999 story in the Chicago Sun-Times that detailed the life-and-death issues related to his work.
Rivera is dedicated and passionate about his family, work and serving the community. It is not uncommon to find him gardening or preparing a gourmet meal. He is an avid reader, news junkie and sports aficionado. He volunteers as a floor-hockey coach and loves to fish with his children, 10-year-old Angel III and 7-year-old Athena.
Rivera served for three years on the board of directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Illinois. He also serves on a committee for the Ad Hoc International Relations Committee with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).
He resides in Elmwood Park with his wife, Irma, and their two children.
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