Miguel del Valle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Miguel del Valle
del Valle in 2011
President of the Chicago Board of Education
In office June 26, 2019 – June 30, 2023
Appointed by	Lori Lightfoot
Preceded by	Frank Clark
Succeeded by	Jianan Shi
City Clerk of Chicago
In office December 1, 2006 – May 16, 2011
Preceded by	James Laski
Succeeded by	Susana Mendoza
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 2nd district
In office 1987–2006
Preceded by	Edward Nedza
Succeeded by	William Delgado
Personal details
Born	(1951-07-24) July 24, 1951 (age 73) Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Lupe del Valle
Children	3 sons 1 daughter
Education	Northeastern Illinois University (BA, MA)
Signature

Miguel del Valle was born on July 24, 1951. He is an American politician who has held several important roles in Chicago and Illinois. He was the City Clerk of Chicago and served as an Illinois State Senator for nearly 20 years. From 2019 to 2023, he was the president of the Chicago Board of Education.

Early Life and Helping Others

del Valle with his wife Lupe in 2009

Miguel del Valle was born in Puerto Rico. When he was four years old, his family moved to Chicago. He grew up in the West Town and Humboldt Park neighborhoods, which are home to many working-class Latino families.

After finishing Tuley High School (now Roberto Clemente Community Academy) in 1969, he went to Northeastern Illinois University. There, he was active in student groups, like the Union for Puerto Rican Students. He also led the Spanish Action Youth Committee.

After college, del Valle earned two degrees in Education and Guidance. He then worked to help young people. He was a Unit Director at the Barreto Boys & Girls Club. Later, he became the Executive Director of Association House, a group that helps people with social services and education. He even helped get city money back for a jobs program for young people.

Miguel del Valle is married to Lupe. They have four children: Miguel Jr., Ivan, Esteban, and Vanessa.

Serving in the State Senate

In 1987, Miguel del Valle made history. He became the first Hispanic Senator elected to the Illinois General Assembly. He served as the Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois Senate, which was another first for a Latino leader.

He worked hard to make sure Latino communities had a voice in government. He helped create new voting districts so that more Latino leaders could be elected.

As a senator, del Valle supported many laws to help people. He worked to protect homeowners from fraud and to make punishments tougher for ATM crimes. He also helped get more early childhood teachers for Illinois schools. He supported laws to give all children in Illinois health coverage and to increase funding for advanced classes in high schools.

Del Valle also started or helped create several Latino organizations. These groups focused on things like higher education and youth leadership. He also created the Miguel del Valle Youth Leadership Development Foundation, which helped raise money for youth services.

Chicago City Clerk

In 2006, Miguel del Valle was chosen to be the City Clerk of Chicago. He was later elected to this position in 2007, becoming the first Latino to be elected City Clerk in Chicago.

The City Clerk's office keeps official city records. It also handles things like vehicle stickers, parking permits, and business licenses for Chicago.

As City Clerk, del Valle worked to make city services better and more open. He put nearly 700,000 pages of city records online, including laws and city budgets. He also made it possible to watch City Council meetings live or recorded online. This helped people see what their city government was doing.

Running for Mayor

In 2011, Miguel del Valle decided to run for Mayor of Chicago. He was the first person to announce his candidacy after Mayor Richard M. Daley said he would not run again.

Del Valle wanted to bring change to the city. He focused on helping neighborhoods and making government more honest. He believed in giving more power to the city's inspector general, who checks for problems in government. He also said he would not take money from companies that did business with the city for his campaign.

He believed that the school board should be elected by the people, not appointed. He also supported making the school day and year longer and working with the Chicago Teachers Union to improve how teachers are evaluated.

Even though he had a lot of support from some Latino politicians and other groups, his campaign did not have a lot of money. He came in third place in the election.

Helping with Utilities and Education

After his time as City Clerk, Miguel del Valle continued to serve the public. In 2013, he was appointed to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). This group helps make sure that utility services, like electricity and gas, are fair and affordable for people. They also oversee transportation safety.

In 2019, Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed del Valle to be the president of the Chicago Board of Education. During his time there, the school district faced big challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. He worked to guide the schools through this difficult period. His term ended in June 2023.

Other Ways He Led

Miguel del Valle has held many other leadership roles. He helped start Advance Illinois, a group focused on improving education. He also chaired the Illinois P-20 Council, which works on education from preschool through college.

He served on boards for several non-profit groups, including Josephinium High School and the Latino Institute. He also taught a class at Roosevelt University about Latinos and public policy. In 2008, he received an honorary degree for his inspiring leadership.