Center on Halsted names Joli Angel Robinson as new CEO

The Center on Halsted, a Lake View center that offers health services and outreach to Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community, on Tuesday named Joli Angel Robinson as its new CEO.

“I am humbled by this opportunity to further the Center on Halsted mission of advancing the community and securing the health and well-being of the LGBTQ people,” Robinson said in a statement.

“I look forward to the collective impact we will make as we center equity in our work and play an integral role in furthering a more inclusive future in Chicagoland and beyond,” Robinson said.

Robinson will officially start work Jan. 8. She succeeds Modesto “Tico” Valle, who stepped down March 1.

As CEO, Robinson’s duties will include helping shape the strategic direction of the organization to “ensure the Center is equipped to address the evolving challenges and needs of today’s LGBTQ community,” the organization said. The center serves over 1,000 visitors a day.

In her most recent role as president and CEO of Housing Forward in Dallas, Robinson led efforts aimed at addressing homelessness and advocating for racial equity. She secured over $23 million in federal funding through a competitive grant process, according to Housing Forward.

Robinson, who has more than two decades of LGBTQ+ leadership experience, serves on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, where she provides strategic oversight and engages as a thought partner in supporting the organization’s mission and contributes to the North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce board.

“We are delighted to welcome Joli Angel Robinson to our team and look forward to the ways she will use her wealth of experience and unwavering commitment to inclusivity, equity, and positive community to make a positive impact on our organization and the greater Chicagoland LGBTQ+ community,” Victor Ravago, chairman of the Center on Halsted’s executive committee, said in a statement.