Chancellor Salgado Honored With Maclovio Barraza Award for Leadership at UnidosUS Annual Conference

On Monday, July 24, 2023, the final day of UnidosUS’ annual conference, City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado was honored with the organization’s Maclovio Barraza Award for Leadership. Chancellor Salgado is the 34^th individual to receive the award, which is named in honor of Maclovio Barraza, a lifelong labor activist and the founding chairperson of UnidosUS’ Board of Directors.

According to UnidosUS, the Maclovio Barraza Award for Leadership “recognizes an individual whose leadership has served as a source of strength and support to the Hispanic community.”

At City Colleges of Chicago, Chancellor Salgado leads a system of seven community colleges, five of which are designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions by the United States Department of Education. Nearly half of all City Colleges students are Latinx.

Prior to his role as Chancellor, Salgado served as CEO of Instituto del Progreso Latino, where he worked to empower residents of Chicago’s Southwest Side through education, citizenship, and skill-building programs that led to sustainable employment and economic stability. Chancellor Salgado is also civically engaged throughout the city of Chicago, including as a board member of the Obama Foundation and a Class C Director for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.​ He is a community college graduate himself and previously served as a member of the UnidosUS Board of Directors.

In his award acceptance speech, Salgado shared his appreciation for those who mentored him early in his career and helped him develop into the leader he is today. He also spoke to the inspiration he has found in Maclovio Barraza’s life and work.

WATCH: Chancellor Salgado Accepts the Maclovio Barraza Award for Leadership (Begin Video at 1:50)

“Tonight, in honor of Maclovio and with gratitude to Unidos for this incredible honor, I will continue to approach every day as if it’s my last, do everything I can to bring love to those around me, [and] rise-up to ensure our families and communities are positioned to thrive,” said Chancellor Salgado.

Salgado also participated in UnidosUS’ annual conference on Sunday, July 23 as part of a panel discussion titled “Navigating the Future of Work: Pioneering Inclusion for the Latino Workforce.” With nearly half of all U.S. Latinx undergraduates choosing community college, he spoke about how community colleges like City Colleges of Chicago are breaking down barriers to college access and helping to create a more inclusive economy.