Rosa, a native of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, is a living testament to the transformative power of grassroots efforts. As a founding member of CALOR (Comprensión y Apoyo a Latinos en Oposición al Retrovirus), she led a movement for Latinos affected by HIV in Chicago who were lacking services that responded to their cultural and language needs. Her unwavering dedication to social service activism spans over 30 years, during which she served as the Regional Director in Chicago for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation until February 2019. In March 2019, through her company Nativa Strategies and Solutions, LLC, Rosa directed a project in Puerto Rico focused on providing trauma-informed services to children and adolescents who suffered trauma due to Hurricane María.
Rosa’s impact has been felt both locally and nationally. In 2010, she was the Community Co-Chair for the Host Committee for the United States Conference on AIDS, held in Chicago in 2011. In 2012, she was selected as an Ambassador to the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC. In 2015, she was elected Co-Chair of the National Latino AIDS Action Network. Her leadership extended to the Steering Committee for the Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s Service Provider Council, and the Case Management Cooperative Leadership Council. She was also the Co-Chair of the Linkage and Retention to Care Committee of the Chicago Area HIV Integrated Services Council (CAHISC). Rosa’s influence is also felt in the Hispanic/Latinx Health Leadership Network. She has maintained a close relationship in Puerto Rico with PACTA, Inc. Casa Ismael, two AIDS Service Organizations for which she has served as Board Member and Consultant. In 2020, she was selected as a member of the National Minority AIDS Council’s Latinx Constituent Advisory Panel (CAP). She continued as Co-Chair until 2023, after successfully leading the Latinx Institute at the United States Conference on HIV/AIDS in Puerto Rico in 2022.
In 2020, Rosa conceptualized and implemented the Living Room Program at Rincon Family Services. The Living Room is a community respite program that aims to minimize visits to the ER by providing a safe space where people with mental health challenges can meet with peers, de-escalate the crisis, and create a safety plan for themselves.
In 2021, Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed Rosa to the Chicago Board of Health, and she continues to serve on the Board today.
Rosa is one of the ten women selected as part of the first cohort of the SELFF (Supporting Exemplary Leaders and Freedom Fighters) Care Sabbatical by the Chicago Community Trust through the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation – Greater Chicago (TRHT). She is also an alumna of the Cultivate: Women of Color Leadership 2024 Cohort.
In April 2024, Rosa joined the Center for Housing and Health at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago as the Vice President of Housing Strategy.
Rosa holds a Master of Science in Public Service Management from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from North Park University.