IL Regional team
NAR in Illinois.
1 ambassador organizing the count locally. 57 Albanians on the registry from Illinois so far.
Director of Outreach
National outreach director.
Sets cross-state strategy and recruits state directors. Illinois's ambassadors report up here until a state-specific director is seated.
Iliriana Sela
Director of Outreach · National
Illinois ambassadors report to Iliriana.
Ambassadors in Illinois
Regional ambassadors on the ground.
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Dimitra Potsi
Regional Ambassador · Chicago
I’m deeply connected to the Albanian community both locally in Chicago and globally through my work. As the founder of ReRoot, a platform that connects multilingual professionals with their communities, I’ve built and engaged a growing network of Albanian and international users by focusing on trust, language, and access. I understand how to activate communities, create meaningful connections, and drive participation. In the first 90 days, I would focus on expanding outreach, organizing community touchpoints, and bringing in professionals who can add value. I can also bring in strong voices from my network who would vouch for my commitment and execution.
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Why Illinois matters
A real count is where the work starts.
ACS 2024 estimate
15,370
Federal count
Community estimate
61,480–76,850
Methodology page
On NAR today
57
From Illinois
Capture rate
0.37%
vs. ACS
As Illinois's Albanian community becomes visible in the data systems institutions actually use, the recognition story gets stronger — for bilingual-ballot petitions in jurisdictions with significant limited-English Albanian populations, for hospital interpreter staffing, for school home-language reporting, and for university heritage programs. None of these unlock automatically from a count; they come from sustained organizing on top of one. The Census ACS stays the official federal source; NAR builds the parallel community count alongside it.
Illinois concentrations
Cook County (Chicago)
Chicago anchors the Midwest Albanian population outside Michigan. Cook County school districts and DuPage municipalities are the relevant federal-formula geographies.
Illinois ranks in the published ACS Albanian-ancestry counts at 15,370 (2024). Nationwide the Census counts 224,000 Albanian Americans while community estimates put us close to a million — and the same gap shows up here. NAR is the community-led parallel count that sits alongside the ACS, one self-attestation at a time.
What's happening in Illinois
2 upcoming events.
Festivals, services, fundraisers, and community gatherings the Illinois team is tracking.
- Sun, Jun 7 · 11:00 AM–5:00 PM Festival
Byrek Fest 2026
Annual byrek picnic by the Albanian-American Community of Illinois — regional pies, music, and a community fundraiser.
Schiller Park Grove (Cook County Forest Preserves) · Schiller Park
- Sat, Nov 28 · 6:00 PM–11:00 PM Fundraiser
Festa e Pavarësisë 2026
AACI's largest fundraiser — Albanian Independence Day banquet with live music, performances, and silent auction.
Diplomat West Banquet Halls · Elmhurst
Apply
Join the Illinois team.
Each state seats up to three Regional Ambassadors plus one state outreach lead. Volunteer role. Listed publicly. Reimbursed expenses for one local event a year.
Or browse all states with open spots →