Leadership & Mission

Chief Executive Officer
Craig Maki
Craig Maki joined Asian Human Services as its CEO in 2015, bringing a creative, compassionate leadership style and vast organizational knowledge. He most recently served as COO of Christopher House in Chicago. Prior to that, Dr. Maki founded Maryville Jen School, offering a therapeutic learning environment for students with emotional, behavioral and cognitive disabilities, and served as its Director of Educational Services. Dr. Maki currently serves on the board of the Illinois Consortium for 21st Century Schools. He is committed to making the State of Illinois and its teacher’s national leaders in the 21st Century Skills teaching movement. He received his Doctorate in Education from National-Louis University, Master’s in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his undergraduate degree from Hope College. Dr. Maki lives in Chicago with his wife Raquel Flores-Maki and is the proud father of daughter Isabella.

Chief Financial Officer
Dr. Nikita R. Johnson
Nikita R. Johnson, Ed.D, is a senior level executive with extensive finance, administration and accounting experience in diverse industries, including secondary and post-secondary education, non-profit, corporate, and financial services. She holds a Doctorate of Educational Leadership from National Louis University. She has also received an MBA from DePaul University, with a concentration in Leadership and Change Management, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Accountancy. Nikita has held finance positions at various institutions including school districts and not for profit organizations. She has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2002, holds a Professional Educators License with a Chief School Business Official and Superintendent endorsement.

Executive Director
Asian Human Services Family Health Center

Muhammad W. Paracha
Muhammad W. Paracha, MD, MPH, has been with AHS since 2000, and became Clinic Director of the Asian Human Services Family Health Center (AHSFHC) in 2002. Dr. Paracha has overseen the successful design and implementation of clinical health programs targeted at AHSFHC’s diverse Asian and immigrant patient population. He has been recognized as the Community Health Center Champion by the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO). He led AHSFHC to get Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in 2013. Under his leadership, AHSFHC constructed a new expansion site which started providing primary care and oral health services in the fall of 2013. Most recently, health center started a new Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Skokie, Illinois, which opened in April of 2014 which was followed up with an opening of another FQHC in Niles, Illinois.

Chief Medical Officer
Asian Human Services Family Health Center

Ayesha Hussain
Ayesha Hussain, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, is board-certified in Family Medicine and has a Masters in Public Health. Dr. Hussain has worked as a Family Physician at ASHFHC since 2007, before being named Medical Director in February 2011. Prior to joining AHSFHC, Dr. Hussain completed her family medicine residency at the Cook County-Loyola-Provident Family Medicine Program here in Chicago. She is multilingual in English and several Indian languages. She is very committed to working with and improving the health of the underserved and immigrant populations.

Chief Dental Officer
Asian Human Services Family Health Center

Lisa Beaudette Nguyen
Lisa Beaudette Nguyen, DDS, Chief Dental Officer, worked in private practice in Chicago and the near north suburbs prior to joining AHSFHC in 2011 when the organization opened its first dental clinic. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Bradley University and her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, where she became interested in public health and passionate about providing quality dental care to all those in need. She enjoys reading, being outside, and spending time with her husband and young son. Dr. Beaudette Nguyen provides dental care at our 2424 W. Peterson Ave. location.

Program Director

Thidaporn Iamsutta
Thidaporn Iamsutta moved to study in the United States from Bangkok, Thailand. She studied Liberal Arts in Sociology at Valparaiso University and Clinical Psychology at Roosevelt University. She joined Asian Human Services in 2000 as an intern. Since then, she became Director of the Mental Health program in August 2016. She is passionate about immigrants, refugees and its communities. When human beings experience traumas or severe life stressors, it is not common for their lives to unravel. Her great passion is bringing healing to people who have been through traumatic and stressful experiences. It is her honor to help clients, who include children, adults and families, to find healthy perceptions of themselves and strengthen their relationships so they can learn to adapt, prosper, and thrive in their lives and in their communities.

Director of Education

Cindy La

Cindy La, M.S. serves as the Director of Education for the LEAF Program. Her commitment to serving children and families is clearly reflected in her 10 years plus in the education field. She has worked as a program director for early childhood programs; practiced behavioral play therapy with school age children; supported families through family engagement; and served in communities through Chicago Public Schools Child Parent Centers. She holds a master’s degree in Child Development and Specialization in Infancy from Erikson Institute and a bachelor’s degree in Education from California Polytechnic University of Pomona. Cindy also holds the Director; Family Support; and Early Childhood Education Gateways Level Credentials. Cindy also has been nominated to serve as the 2017 cohort for the Barbara Bowman Leadership Fellows and recently was elected to serve as the Associate Board member for BUILD Chicago that serves at risk youth in the Westside of Chicago. During her free time, Cindy looks forward to spending time with her son and family exploring the city.

Program Director

Ivan Li
Ivan Li started working at Asian Human Services (AHS) in July 1997. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Ivan lived in Vancouver, Canada for 8 years before coming to Chicago. Ivan has an M.A. in Sociology and B.A. in Criminology. He has more than 15 years of successful experience directing and supervising programs at AHS.

Program Director

Maritza Torres
Maritza Torres has been a committed urban educator for nearly ten years. During her work she has served as a teacher, department chair/teacher leader, dean, and principal intern in St. Louis, Chicago, and Boston. Maritza is a Chicago native and graduate of Chicago Public Schools. She is daughter to immigrant parents, and was an English Language Learner during the beginning of her educational career. Her educational experiences deepen her commitment to education and passion for equity. Maritza began her career teaching High School Spanish as a Foreign Language with Teach for America St. Louis. Maritza holds an Ed.M in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an Ed.S. in Administration and Supervision from National Louis University, Ed. M in Secondary Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in Spanish with a minor in Latina/o Studies.