Jorge Maldonado ’05: Embracing Chicago’s Occasional Polar Vortex

Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jorge Maldonado ’05 moved to Orlando in high school with the goal of acclimating to the mainland, practicing the language, and benefiting from in-state tuition. He was used to the fast-paced lifestyle of Puerto Rico’s capital city and was looking for a similar vibe from Orlando.

As a kid, he had dreamed of attending college in the states and was inspired by the popular sports film, Rudy, in which a young man facing significant obstacles dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN.

Although Maldonado did not harbor football dreams like the film’s protagonist, the movie idealized Notre Dame and its rich football history, inspiring him to pursue his dream of studying abroad.

He moved to the states and began working toward attending Notre Dame but became interested in UCF while living with relatives in Florida. With UCF’s affordability, it became Maldonado’s number-one choice for college.

After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in human resources management from the UCF College of Business, Maldonado was recognized by his employer, Sherwin Williams, and received an opportunity to move to Chicago.

Tackling the Business World

It was an offer he could not refuse. The 155-year-old company and global leader of high-performance paints and coatings saw potential in Maldonado and paid a portion of his master’s degree studies at National Louis University in Chicago to move to the Windy City.

“I took that leap of faith,” Maldonado says. “My family makes fun of me for wanting to stay here because of the cold weather, but I don’t see myself ever moving to anywhere humid.”

For the past 15 years, Maldonado has worked in various industries throughout the Midwest, ascending through multiple leadership roles in human resources. Now the senior human resources manager for ABM Industries, he continues to make time to serve the UCF Chicago Alumni community.

Building the UCF Chicago Alumni Community

In 2009, Maldonado co-founded the UCF Chicago Alumni community, along with Taylor Gerring ’05, co-founder of Ethereum Foundation, Carrie Carpenter ’06, and Ivette Herald ’04.

The first official gathering of the new alumni community was, naturally, Goldie’s Pub, an institution in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, and in the heart of the city.

Establishing UCF’s alumni chapter helped deepen his relationship with his alma mater, he says. As an undergraduate, he had simply not had the time to become more connected.

“I was way too focused on school, AF ROTC,  fraternity, and work,” Maldonado says. But the close-knit Chicago Knights are now his home away from La Isla del Encanto, just with the addition of a polar vortex or two.  

While at UCF, Maldonado was a Florida Bright Futures scholarship recipient, and he had part-time jobs. He joined a fraternity, and that helped him feel more at home, but his goal was always to get out in four years and start his career path.

Gregarious by nature, he has always been able to make friends wherever he lived and enjoyed building his professional network – and helping his friends succeed. It’s that aspect of helping grow the UCF Chicago Alumni community that keeps motivating him, he says.

Becoming a Subject-Matter Expert in Human Resources

Initially, Maldonado had thought of going to law school; he had an internship/part-time job at an Orlando law firm. Many of his fraternity brothers had also opted for a legal career. Maldonado realized that he could concentrate on the legal aspects of human resources without incurring the debt typically associated with law school.  

The idea of focusing on human resources stemmed from his parents’ involvement in the military, he says.

“Rule-following was always part of my family,” Maldonado says. “It’s inherently a part of human resources, and I also like the psychology and business aspect of the field.”

One of Maldonado’s favorite aspects of human resources is providing tools to ensure that all employees succeed, are safe, are treated respectfully, while doing things the right way.

Maldonado has been sought out as a consultant for his subject-matter expertise in employment law, as well as for his consummate professionalism and fairness.

For a while, Maldonado was one of the consultants that the company utilized when downsizing due to merger or acquisition; he was the one who was responsible for severance and layoffs.

“It wasn’t easy,” Maldonado says, “But I got to travel the country, earning that type of experience – not just in layoffs, but in how the employment laws differ from state to state.”

One of the more important things he learned about the experience was that there was a right way to tell a person negative news affecting their job.

“You can lay off people with a lot of respect and dignity, and as long as they know that you’re there with their best interests and you are transparent; and that you’re doing your job, but you’re going to look for the best settlements they can get,” Maldonado says. “You still want to retain the brand of the company that you’re working for and your own dignity. You want to go to bed knowing that you did the best that you were able to do.”

His commitment to doing the best he can do also extends to the UCF Chicago Knights. “I just want to ensure we have the local support for any UCF alumni that is moving to Chicago, visiting, or about to make a career decision.”

“Whenever I’m traveling, I try to check in on the local communities and see what’s going on and let the community members know they are welcomed to check out the Chicago community whenever they’re in town. The communities have a lot to offer to us alumni, and it doesn’t have to involve only athletics, although that part is great as well.”

Maldonado especially wants his fellow alumni to know that no matter what challenges life may throw you – personally or professionally – you usually have alumni right beside you or behind you who can help.

“Wherever you go,” Maldonado says, “Whether it’s Chicago, NYC, Philly, Boston, Nashville, Las Vegas, Portland, or even a village in Alaska, there’s a possibility that a fellow UCF alumni is experiencing or has experienced something similar to what you’re doing, and we can help.”