Membership Levels
Other options are also available! You can start a small recurring donation, donate one time, or simply subscribe to our newsletter to stay in touch.
RUF, as a 100% pass-through entity, exists mainly because a small number of dedicated people underwrite all operational and fundraising costs: our Members, our Founding Angels, and our Strategic Sponsors. Our 5-year plan assumes no individual will represent more than 10% of the sources of operational revenues.
This is your opportunity to become part of a special community of monthly donors who are committed to helping RUF further its mission of connecting Romanian communities worldwide. Your recurring donation can make a significant difference by allowing us to continue executing our mission.
Your monthly gift ensures a predictable income to cover the organization’s operational expenses. You can change or cancel your membership at any time.
👉 Not quite ready? Make a one-time donation.
👉 Ready to commit to more? Become a Strategic Sponsor
👉 Just wanna stay in touch? Subscribe to our newsletter
List of Current Members
Our members are a passionate and determined group of monthly givers on a mission to help RUF build a true Romanian American community in our lifetime. They are people like you, from all around the world, giving anything they can to prove how unstoppable we are when we work together.
Mihai Lehene
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.
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
Ligia Apostoaia
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.
Adina Sandu
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.
Cosmina has a Master Degree in Economics from University of Targu Mures. She is the RUF office wizard, handling all accounting and administrative issues. She moved to Chicago from Romania more than a decade ago and she is passionate about helping people.
Diana Muresan
Founding Angel
Founding Angel, Honorary Member of ROCO, the Romanian Community Center
Volunteer
Diana Muresan is Mortgage Banker with The Federal Savings Bank, member of the Chairman Club and currently creating the first Senior Housing Department at the TFSB. She has a master degree from DuPaul University, Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.
Anamaria Neamt
Member
Founding Member, Word Whisperer (Newsletter), Supporter of the Romanian Community Center of Chicago
Founding Member
Volunteer
“Don’t Panic” (aka Douglas Adams’ version of today’s “stay calm”)
Born with an affinity for numbers and words in a family of educators. My journey: music school, writing club, math, economics, and, closing the circle, teaching. Going back to the roots se
Miruna Zamfirescu
Honorary Member
Founding Member, Reporting Officer, VP of Fundraising
Founding Member
Volunteer
Originally from Bistrita, Miruna earned her BA in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and has built her career in the financial markets as an algorithmic trader/quantitative analyst.
Mihaela is a social worker and co-founder of Spera Foundation, a nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for underprivileged children in Romania. She is also serving as an Educational Programs Advisor for SPOC Charity.
Georgiana Merdariu
Founding Angel
Founding Member, Programs Director, Chicago
Founding Member
Staff
Teacher
Georgiana is bringing extensive experience in Communication & Marketing gained from her previous roles as a journalist in the biggest media trust in Romania and coordinator of international campaigns for well-established clients at Ogilvy and Grey G2.
Laura lives in Key West with her family, including her 4 children Andrei, Thea, Nyssa, and Clara. Laura has been working with SOS Mission, a nonprofit focused on helping homeless people and poor families. She believes all Romanians should work together.
CEO & Founder of Sun Media Shine Digital Marketing Agency and Cora Phenix Entertainment. Graduated from Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj, Romania, and studied drama at the University Babes Bolyai in the same city, entertainer and published author.
Is a finance major with a Master’s degree in Project and Process Management. He gained extensive experience in change management, designing roadmaps, and managing client relationships at both institutional and individual levels.
Monica Horga Bora
Member
Founding Member, Ambassador of RoCo, Supporter of RoCo
Founding Member
Volunteer
Luciana is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, particularly through mentoring programs that advance equity in education, research, and innovation. She currently works at University of Michigan.
Burca is the Senior Associate Director of the Stigler Center, where he oversees the programming and marketing strategy, and supports fundraising and strategic partnerships. A native of Transylvania, Romania, Burca holds a BA from DePaul University and an
Casandra is an employment lawyer and has practiced law for nearly 10 years as an associate at two well-respected Chicago law firms and as in-house counsel at a large international bank. Casandra obtained her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Ion Busu
Honorary Member
Honorary Member of RoCo, the Romanian Community Center of Chicago
Volunteer
I am originally from Brasov, Romania. I live with my husband and two children in Boston, Massachusetts. My expertise is in educational systems and my passion, in addition to access to quality education for all, is working with others for the common good.
Mirela is co-founder of Spera Foundation, an organization that provides opportunities to underprivileged children in Romania to continue their education, achieve academic excellence, and ultimately make a positive impact in their communities.
Stefan Bota
Volunteer
Sebastian Teodoru
Volunteer
Claudia graduated from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine with a Masters Degree in Medical Science as a Physician Assistant.
Live and die by the data. Founder https://t.co/UJURPIiMJd embedded working capital for vertical SaaS. Former Adobe built Experience Cloud, Big Data Analytics, open-source.
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