Chancellor Salgado Honored With Esteemed Excellence in Public Service Award

On December 12, 2024, City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado accepted the 33rd Annual Motorola Solutions Foundation Excellence in Public Service Award, presented and administered by the Civic Federation, at an event in his honor in downtown Chicago.

The Excellence in Public Service Award is an annual recognition of a non-elected government official who, according to the Civic Federation, has had an extraordinary impact on the quality of state or local government services in Illinois. The award seeks to recognize individuals who show dedication to a vision of quality management, leadership, and innovation that leads to lasting achievements and more effective government.

Chancellor Salgado has focused his career on improving education and economic opportunities for residents in low-income communities. As Chancellor of City Colleges, he oversees Chicago’s community college system, serving more than 66,000 students across seven colleges, more than three-quarters of whom are Black or Latine students. Under his leadership, City Colleges has become Chicago’s most accessible higher education engine for racial and socioeconomic mobility.

The event included acknowledgments from Joe Ferguson, President of the Civic Federation, and Veronica Herrero, Executive Vice Chancellor, Chief Institutional Advancement Officer, and Chief of Staff at City Colleges of Chicago. It concluded with a fireside discussion between Chancellor Salgado and Sylvia Puente, President and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum, where the two discussed Salgado’s work in the public service sector, experience as a community college graduate, and plans to support the next generation of students, among other topics.

The room was full of Chicago civic, community, and corporate leaders, as well as City Colleges students, alumni, and employees, who shared their gratitude for Chancellor Salgado’s leadership.

“Chancellor Salgado has actively listened to our community at City Colleges to ensure our needs as minority students are being met and has served as a support and role model throughout my academic journey,” said City Colleges alum Marnee Ostoa, now a student at the University of Illinois Chicago. “I am incredibly proud of his achievements, as he serves to empower and inspire the Latino community and every student at City Colleges.”

Esteemed leaders have also shared their admiration for the Chancellor and his work to help Chicagoans advance their education and lives.

“I’m a huge fan of Juan’s and a huge admirer of his. He’s been such an incredible leader for our city,” said Penny Pritzker.

In addition to the Excellence in Public Service Award, Chancellor Salgado has been nationally recognized for his work, including as a 2015 MacArthur Fellow. Among his civic commitments, he serves as a board member of the Obama Foundation and a Class C Director for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.