Top 20 ROCO Ambassadors

362 donors so far. Help us get to 200
Simona Oarga
1
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
 
Mihai Lehene
2

Founding Angel 
Board of Directors 
Founder of RUF. President of FORA.
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.
 
Valentin Daraban
3

Founding Angel 
Founding Angel, Ambassador of the Romanian Community Center of Chicago
Volunteer 
Real Estate Developer for Keeper Development INC
Cristian Merdariu
4

Founding Angel 
Board of Advisors 
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.
 
Catalin Juncan
5

Honorary Member 
Ambassador and Honorary Member of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
Lavinia Tomescu
6

Member 
Ambassador of RoCo, Supporter of RoCo, Member of the RoCo Chicago Community Council
Oana Dobrean-Urzica
7

Founding Angel 
Founding Angel, ROCO Executive Director, Communications Lead
Volunteer  Teacher 
Oana has been one of the biggest believers in ROCO since the very beginning and one of the most active volunteers. She believes in the strength of our community, in volunteering, doing good, and leaving something worth while behind.
 
Ligia Apostoaia
8

Founding Angel 
Board of Directors 
Founding Member, Secretary of the BoD, CEO of MDL Investments
Founding Member  Volunteer  Teacher 
Ligia’s charity involvement began at a very young age, helping her family foundation with the distribution of humanitarian aid to the families in need in the area immediately. Today she continues to do what she is most passionate about: doing good.
Ioana Savos
9

Founding Angel 
RUF Founding Angel, Member of the Chicago Community Council, Honorary Member of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
Volunteer 
Maria Molnar
10

Member 
Ambassador of the Chicago Community Center
Ariana Drule
11

Founding Member, Volunteer Liaison
Founding Member  Volunteer 
Since she moved to Chicago, Ariana earned two Master's degrees, International Public Service and Leadership Communication . Thanks to a local NPO, Upwardly Global, she was able to start her career in the US in international higher education.
 
Eduard Chira
12

Founding Angel 
RUF Founding Angel, Ambassador of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
General Manager at Compass Truck Rental and Leasing. Eduard has a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) focused in Business/Managerial Economics from UBV.
 
Alina Cumpan
13

Founder: Authentic Society, Founding Member of RUF, Founder: Chicago Community Council, Volunteer, Honorary Member of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
Founding Member  Volunteer 
I believe in Unity, in long-lasting programs, and in open doors for the ones that are willing to build bridges to a beautiful tomorrow. Join us today!
 
Rusalina Mincu
14

Member 
Ambassador of RoCo, Supporter of RoCo
 
Nicoleta Roman
15

Member 
Mezzo-Soprano, RUF Ambassador & VP of Donor Relations, RCCC Ambassador
Volunteer 
Romanian-American Mezzo-Soprano Nicoleta Roman has been a prominent member of the Romanian community in Chicago for over 23 years. She is fond of her Romanian heritage, constantly promoting her values through her voice.
Dan Cosma
16

Member 
Ambassador of RoCo, Supporter of RoCo
Volunteer 
Adina Sandu
17

Member 
Founding Member, UX & Creative, Supporter of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
Founding Member  Volunteer 
“What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well.” Incurable optimistic? Adina says no. We need to believe in the good that lies ahead and we can do amazing things together. Random fact: she would rather carry a camera than a purse.
 
Romanian United Fund
19

Chicago, USA
Romanian United Fund helps diaspora organizations and local nonprofits in Romania access the funding, tools, training, and support they need to become more effective. We do this by connecting NGOs, donors, and volunteers from all over the world.
 
Cristian Luput
20

Founding Angel 
Board of Directors 
Founder & CEO, Optimus Realty
The founder and CEO of Optimus Realty Inc, Cristian strongly believes in the power of charity to improve people's lives and change the mentalities and hopes of the less fortunate ones. Cristian is acting Treasurer of RUF.