Victoria Maldonado serves as the Director of Communications for the Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce. She has worked professionally as a writer and editor for more than 20 years, with experience working for various trade publications across industries and editing, writing, and publishing as a freelancer (with Victorious Editing Services). She also is the author of several women’s fiction novels (Victoria J. Hyla), anthology-published short stories, and children’s books.  

Victoria holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in Education and French from the University of Illinois in Champaign. She also pursued teaching certification in English as a Second Language and taught in middle school and high school for several years in the Elgin area. 

She has lived in the Aurora area for the better part of the last 22 years and currently lives in Montgomery, IL, with her husband, twins, dog (Mozart), and cat (Caliban).  

Victoria is also actively involved in promoting women in business through WESOS, helping steer her fully inclusive and affirming church, and directing plays at her children’s elementary school. She is also on the Board for the nonprofit This Girls Story.