MIRROR IMAGES

There are two men in Chicago whose civic lives have become practically mirror images. Because I respect them both so much and each has taken on a new challenge in the education arena, I wanted to share their stories.

From 1995-2001, Gery Chico was President of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The system that William Bennett, when U.S. Secretary of Education in 1987, said, “I'm not sure there's a system as bad as the Chicago system,” and that is would take a ''man or woman of steel'' to clean it up. Within a decade, CPS became “a turnaround model for the nation,” according to then President Bill Clinton. In 1997, Chico was named Outstanding School Board President by the Illinois State Board of Education for his reforms in education and fiscal policies. I was honored to be his press secretary during part of his tenure at CPS and personally saw his dedication to the children of Chicago.

In March 2010, Mayor Daley appointed Chico to the board of trustees of the City Colleges of Chicago and the board elected him president. Chico later resigned that position to run for mayor of Chicago.

This week, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn named Chico the Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) saying at a press conference, “He’s a leader of distinction."

Then we have Jesse Ruiz. I also know him very well because we both sit on the Board of the Chicago lLegal Clinic. He was appointed as Chairman of the ISBE in September 2004 and reappointed in 2007. He has served as a Commissioner, by appointment of the Chicago Board of Education, on the Chicago Public Schools’ Desegregation Monitoring Commission.

On February 17, 2011, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appointed Jesse as one of 28 education advocates, civil rights leaders, scholars, lawyers, and corporate leaders to the Department of Education’s Equity and Excellence Commission.

This past April Ruiz was named vice president of the Chicago Board of Education.  To take that position, he had to resign as President of the Illinois State Board of Education.

Is everybody still following me here in the game of musical chairs education style?

Chico went from CPS to ISBE and Ruiz from ISBE to CPS. Both are Hispanic, attorneys, very handsome (happily married!), have been recognized for their civic work and I am honored to call each my friend.


Chico has received many awards and honors over his career including: Person of the Year Award by the Latin-American Police Association; President's Award by the National Association of Hispanic Publishers; University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award; Distinguished Award for Excellence by the Illinois Bar Foundation; Citizen of the Year by the City Club of Chicago; Outstanding School Board President by the Illinois State Board of Education; Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Outstanding Public Service; Champion of the Public Interest by the Business and Professional People for the Public Interest; and Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine.

Ruiz is past president of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and Past Chairman of the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois. In March 2007, El Valor, one of the country’s leading nonprofits serving the Hispanic Community, awarded Jesse their Education Excellence Award. In September 2005, he was selected by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White to receive his Education Award. He also received the Chicago Bar Association’s 2005 Vanguard Award and in 2003 was profiled in the prestigious Crain’s Chicago Business list of “40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Chicago Business.” That same year, he was recognized by Chicago Lawyer magazine as one of the “40 Attorneys Under 40 in Illinois to Watch” and was selected by Chicago United to be featured in its first “Business Leaders of Color” publication, featured in the October 13, 2003 issue of Crain’s Chicago Business.

How does one tell them apart? Their lives are practically mirror images of each other. We are lucky that their dedication to education will reflect upon the citizens of Illinois.