CUB Staff

Joseph A. DeLaGarza
Director

Joseph DeLaGarza is the director of the Center for Urban Business. In this role, he manages the Small Business Development Center, providing one-on-one business consulting and seminar training to entrepreneurs. Prior to joining CUB, Joseph worked as a business development manager at Eighteenth Street Development Corporation. While there, he assisted pre-venture, start-up, and established businesses by providing business counseling, packaging small business loans, preparing business and marketing plans, and providing other business management services. Joseph's track record in the corporate sector includes positions at Kmart Corporation, Duff & Phelps Credit Rating, CNA Insurance Companies and GE Capital. Joseph is an active participant in the business community through his leadership on the planning committee that organizes the Latino Business Opportunities Conference. Additionally, he has volunteered on numerous occasions for organizations and programs such as Tax Assistance, United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, FUERZA, International Latino Film Festival, and Anti-drug initiatives. Joseph holds an MBA in international business and entrepreneurship from UIC.

Phone No: (312) 413-8139
Email: delagarz@uic.edu

Victoria Gheorghe
Assistant Director

Victoria Gheorghe, assistant director of the Center for Urban Business at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Business Administration, specializes in delivering business consulting and seminar training to small business owners and entrepreneurs. Gheorghe has ample experience assisting small businesses with planning, management, marketing, regulatory research, and finance of their businesses. She has worked for the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network since 2000, during which time she has directed three Illinois SBDCs and assisted clients in the acquisition of more than $12 million in financing. Gheorghe has created a number of bilingual business programs and business initiatives including the WBDC's Child Care Initiative and the Technology Innovation Center's Evanston Business Ownership Initiative. Gheorghe is a certified business specialist by the Illinois Entrepreneur Small Business Growth Association, and received a bachelor's degree in business administration with concentrations in finance and management from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Phone No:(312) 413-8130
Email: gheorghe@uic.edu

Camelia T. Williams
Departmental Information Supervisor

Camelia Williams is the departmental information supervisor at CUB, and will be the administrative assistant for the CUB/SBDC. Her responsibilities include CUB budget management, coordination of CUB's programs, scheduling and events management, and general administrative duties. She has been with the University of Illinois at Chicago for 20 years.

Phone No: (312) 413-4478
Email: cwilli18@uic.edu