SRBCC Staff

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Omar Torres-Kortright relocated to Chicago on July 15, 2000. He became involved with the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center as a young student of Afro-Caribbean music and later served as a volunteer and Board Member. He was appointed Executive Director on April 30, 2015, becoming the longest-serving ED in SRBCC’s 54-year history. Under his leadership, the organization has significantly enhanced its multidisciplinary facility in Hermosa, while expanding its impact through a monthly arts and culture series, regular artistic residencies, and programs for young musicians. Established in 2018, La Cantera provides emerging Chicago-based Afro-Latin jazz musicians with career-defining exposure and mentorship from renowned teaching artists. Omar’s commitment to community-centered work has made SRBCC a vital hub for cultural preservation and artistic innovation. His collaborative spirit has fostered partnerships with internationally recognized creatives and major cultural institutions, securing essential opportunities for local and touring artists.

Omar’s contributions extend beyond SRBCC; he is a member of the Mayor’s Cultural Advisory Council and a 2022 Chicago Peace Fellows cohort member.

Born and raised in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, Wendy Navarro has been working in the customer service field in Chicago for over two decades. Wendy is energetic and passionate about the work of local non-profits, and has extensive experience in coordinating and supporting operations for grassroots organizations. She joined the SRBCC team in January 2023.

Charly Barbera is a musician and educator dedicated to the preservation and evolution of Afro-Caribbean music. He has extensively studied the music of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic with masters of percussion such as Jesus Alfonso and Minini (Cuba); Sixto Menier and Duluc (Dominican Republic), and Luis “Chichito” Cepeda and Angel Luis Torruellas (Puerto Rico)

He has worked as a percussionist and composer/arranger with various groups in different musical genres such as Africaribe, Silk Road Project, SonTarima, La Chancil Tropical and his Colectivo Manigua. Charly is actively composing, performing, and sharing the music of the Caribbean with students in classrooms and cultural centers across Chicago and abroad.

While in high school Tino studied piano as well as trumpet, participating in programs such as All-City Concert and Jazz bands, Merit and Sherwood Music Conservatories, the Chicago Youth Jazz Ensemble lead by Orbert Davis, as well as the Protege Philharmonic, and Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. Tino is also an alum of the Gallery 37 Latin Jazz Ensemble program when it was at the Block 37 site.

Currently Tino performs mostly with his bands that he manages through his small business, Ayem Pro Entertainment LLC as well as freelances with some of the top latin groups that tour through Chicago. He is also a long time member of the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest, a community orchestra led by Jay Friedman of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.