Longtime Chicago nonprofit leader Nancy Villafranca-Guzmán will guide the award-winning newsroom as it celebrates nine years of serving immigrant communities.
Borderless Magazine announced today that Nancy Villafranca-Guzmán will serve as its next Executive Director, leading the award-winning nonprofit newsroom into its next phase of growth.
Villafranca-Guzmán is a proven leader with over 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership at Chicago cultural institutions. She has worked in executive leadership roles at the National Museum of Mexican Art and Chicago History Museum, and served as Deputy Commissioner of Programming at DCASE during Mayor Lightfoot’s administration. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Impact at PODER, where she led strategy and fundraising for holistic programs serving Spanish-speaking immigrants.
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“I am thrilled to welcome Nancy as Borderless’s next executive director,” said Borderless Board Chair Maty Ortega Cruz, who led the extensive national candidate search.
“Nancy brings a rare combination of strategic leadership, community-centered values, and a bold vision for the future. As a Chicagoan with deep roots working with immigrant communities, she understands both the challenges and opportunities facing our city. Her leadership will help Borderless continue to grow while staying true to the mission and values that have made it a trusted voice in immigration journalism.”
Villafranca-Guzmán is a lifelong Chicagoan and the first in her family to be born in the United States. Her parents and siblings moved to Chicago from Durango, Mexico, and Villafranca-Guzmán spent part of her childhood in Mexico.
Throughout her career, she has built programs and partnerships that strengthen community engagement, elevate cultural storytelling, and deepen public trust.
“It is a great honor to join Borderless, especially at a time when Chicago’s immigrant communities have a greater need for reliable and truthful information, and the entire city deserves to hear from many voices and perspectives,” said Villafranca-Guzmán. “I look forward to building on Borderless’ impactful legacy and contributing to such daring storytelling that can inspire positive change in our city.”
The planned leadership transition is part of Borderless Magazine’s new strategic plan, released in January, which paves the way for the organization to scale its newsroom with intention and momentum to meet the audience’s needs leading up to the Nov. 2028 presidential election.
Villafranca-Guzmán succeeds cofounding Executive Director Nissa Rhee, who has led Borderless since its inception in 2017 as a volunteer-led reporting project responding to the Muslim Travel Ban. Under Rhee’s leadership, Borderless grew into an award-winning newsroom recognized nationally for its investigative reporting, multilingual journalism, and community-centered engagement model. The organization recently celebrated its ninth year of work with a retrospective impact report.
“Nancy is a brilliant leader and is coming to us with the management and fundraising experience Borderless needs to expand our impact and drive sustainable community investment,” said Rhee. “But one of the reasons I am most excited about Nancy stepping into the role of executive director is that she lives and breathes Borderless’ mission.”
Villafranca-Guzmán will begin her role as Executive Director on June 15, 2026.
Read Borderless’ 9-Year Impact Report here.
For information about Borderless’ philanthropic partnerships, contact CJ Ortuño, Chief Development Officer, at [email protected].
For press inquiries, please contact Diane Bou Khalil, Marketing and Engagement Manager, Borderless Magazine [email protected].
About Borderless Magazine
Borderless Magazine is Chicago’s premier immigration news outlet. As a nonprofit organization, it is dedicated to providing non-partisan, multilingual reporting that serves and reflects the city’s diverse immigrant communities.
