Meet our Ambassadors on Argyle!
Prince Awuah
Prince Awuah has been an Argyle Corridor Ambassador since the beginning of the program. He enjoys helping his community in any way he can, most of the time through volunteering at the local food pantry- cooking dishes or passing out food/ clothing. He enjoys being a corridor ambassador because it gives him the opportunity to serve this community. Before coming to Uptown United, Prince worked as a cook at Panda Express while doing security on the side. Prince describes himself as friendly and hard working.
Danny Ong
Danny Ong started as one of the first Argyle Ambassadors since the program began. He has fond memories of visiting Argyle with his grandmother, helping her grocery shopping. Danny is a Columbia College Alumni and former record store clerk at Tower Records with exquisite taste for music, movies, and books. Danny is a self-taught cook who experiments with different techniques and recipes. His favorite color is black.
Reis O’Donnell
Reis has been with Uptown United since July of 2022. Born and raised in Chicago, Reis has always been interested in the evolution of neighborhoods and their relationships with entities such as public transportation, local government, and local chambers of commerce. Before joining the Uptown Ambassador team, Reis spent a summer working as a GIS field intern for UrbanGIS Chicago, a company subcontracted by ComED to perform electrical safety audits on telephone poles across the Chicagoland area. Reis personally audited over 500 of them, scrutinizing them with strict safety standards that made sure they weren’t dangerous or threatening to their surrounding neighborhoods. Additionally, Reis has also worked as an assistant paralegal in a medium-sized law firm, as a bartender and as a mover/storage worker. Reis currently holds a BS in Urban and Regional planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently pursuing a Masters in Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP) degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Beth Ruegg
Beth Ruegg became a Community Ambassador on Argyle Street in November of 2022. She has worked in advertising & marketing in downtown Chicago for several years. She has volunteered in the Uptown/Edgewater Community for about 10 years. She has collaborated with the Alderman’s Office along with the Chamber of Commerce at numerous community events such as CAPS Night Out, Community Meetings, the Lunar Festival on Argyle Street, The Art Fair on Granville, and events in Andersonville. She has also served the homeless along with other vulnerable populations by volunteering at Inspiration Corporation since 2013. She likes to spend a lot of time by Lake Michigan. She lives in Uptown with her Cat named Christiana.
Tam Van Nguyen
In 1982, Tam Van Nguyen came to the United States form Vietnam after the Vietnam War as a refugee. He attended and graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a BS in Economics in 1986. Tam joined the Vietnamese Association of Illinois (VAI) in 1987 as a Community Economic Development Program Manager and worked in that position until December 2006. In July 2007, he joined Chinese Mutual Aid Association (CMAA), first as an Employment Counselor in the Employment Program and then as the CCP Outreach Coordinator in the In-Home Services Program. In June 2022, Tam Van Nguyen began his role as an Argyle Corridor Ambassador working with Uptown United/Uptown Chamber of Commerce.
Hac Tran
Hac Tran is an urban planner, community development professional, and cultural producer born in Chicago. His experiences range from youth development and capacity building in Vietnam with Save the Children, to human services with various community-based organizations in Uptown and food & cultural focused event planning throughout Chicago. He is the co-founder of HAIBAYÔ, a creative initiative that aims to energize the historic Asia on Argyle corridor through innovative cross cultural, multi-generational collaborations, events, and programming. He has been with the Uptown Chamber of Commerce since 2017. Hac holds a BA in Political Science from DePaul University and a Masters in Urban Planning and Policy (MUPP) from the University of Illinois at Chicago.