Top 20 ROCO Ambassadors

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

Founding Angel 
Founding Angel, Chicago, IL
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
 
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 Directors 
ROCO Biz
Founding Angel, RCC Chicago Ambassador
Founding Member 
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 
ROCO Executive Director
Staff  Teacher 
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 things, and in leaving something worthwhile behind.
 
Maria Molnar
8

Member 
Ambassador of the Chicago Community Center
Ariana Drule
9

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.
 
Alina Cumpan
10

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!
 
Ioana Savos
11

Founding Angel 
RUF Founding Angel, Member of the Chicago Community Council, Honorary Member of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
Volunteer 
Ligia Apostoaia
12

Founding Angel 
Board of Directors 
Secretary of the Board, CEO of MDL Investments
Founding Member  Volunteer  Teacher 
Ligiaโ€™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.
Eduard Chira
13

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.
 
Nicoleta Roman
14

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.
Rusalina Mincu
15

Member 
Ambassador of RoCo, Supporter of RoCo
 
Adina Sandu
16

Member 
Tech Support/Events
Founding Member  Volunteer 
Graduated from UIC, College of Business, with a degree in finance and works as a Digital Manager at Mainland. Fun facts: prefers a camera, unable to make a choice between hiking a mountain or walking in the sand, an incurable optimist.
 
Dan Cosma
17

Member 
Ambassador of RoCo, Supporter of RoCo
Volunteer 
Romanian United Fund
18

Chicago, USA
RUF is a 100% pass-through fundraising platform. We help diaspora & local nonprofits in Romania access the funding, tools, training, and support they need to become more effective. We do this by connecting NGOs, donors & volunteers from all over the world
 
Nicole Blajan
19

Founding Angel 
Honorary Member of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center Chicago
Volunteer 
Managing Principal at GSD Real Estate Group;
 
Lavinia Ghilea
20

Member 
Supporter of the Chicago Community Center