Meet Tosi

Tosi Ufodike is an experienced community leader, wife, mom, and small business owner from Hawthorn Woods.

Committed to community service, Tosi was elected to serve as a Trustee on the Ela Township Board, where she chairs the Parks & Recreation Committee and serves as second chair for the Health & Wellness Committee. She is also an ambassador for her hometown of Hawthorn Woods and was appointed to the Hawthorn Woods Bloom Committee by the Mayor. She and her husband are members of the Lake Zurich Chamber of Commerce. Tosi currently serves on the Foglia YMCA Advisory Board.

Believing in the importance of early childhood development and education, Tosi and her husband opened their first childcare center, Kiddie Academy of Hawthorn Woods. As mom to two active teenagers, Tosi has been a cheer mom, track mom, cross country mom, tennis mom, and swim mom. She is active in Lake Zurich District 95 schools, serving as room mom, substitute teacher and volunteer at her children’s school.

After skipping a grade, Tosi started college at 16 while working her first job at Kmart as a retail shoe sales associate. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management from Lander University. She then worked at a local credit union while earning her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Clemson University. Upon graduation, Tosi earned a spot in the prestigious General Electric (GE) Financial Management Training Program (FMP). After FMP, Tosi worked as an auditor, traveling the world focused on financial and operational process improvements. She is a certified Six Sigma Quality Black Belt, earned her Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA), and achieved her Illinois Director Credential (IDC).

Tosi learned the value of education and hard work from her parents. Her father came to America from Nigeria to study journalism and met her mom at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He became a journalist and later a small business owner, and her mother earned her PhD, teaching in public school for over 40 years. Tosi’s grandfather was a hardworking farmer who instilled in his family a love for America and the importance of supporting American farmers and local small businesses.

Tosi resides in Hawthorn Woods with her husband of close to twenty years, Chidebelu, who works for Walgreens. They have two children, Zina and Yadi, and Lucky, their dog, as well as two goldfish. They attend The Chapel church in Lake Zurich.