Obama Foundation Seeks Unpaid Volunteers for Chicago Campus Opening
The Obama Presidential Center has announced it is recruiting unpaid volunteers to serve as "ambassadors" when its Chicago campus opens later this year, despite paying its chief executive a substantial $740,000 annual salary. The foundation revealed this week that it aims to hire 75 to 100 volunteers to greet visitors and guide guests around the facility upon its launch in June.
Volunteer Program Details and Compensation Contrast
According to the Obama Foundation, the volunteer ambassador program will place community members in public-facing roles to help shape the visitor experience at the center. Volunteers will greet guests, explain exhibits, assist with events, and ensure visitors "feel personally welcomed from the moment they arrive." Recruitment efforts are primarily focused on Chicago residents.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett, who serves as CEO of the Obama Foundation, receives a significant six-figure salary to oversee the 19.3-acre campus in Chicago's Jackson Park. Federal tax filings show Jarrett earned $740,000 in compensation in 2024, the same amount she received in both 2023 and 2022. Jarrett is one of Obama's closest advisers and longtime personal friends, having served as a senior adviser in the Obama White House before joining the foundation in 2021.
Foundation's Defense and Economic Impact
In a statement announcing the volunteer program, Jarrett emphasized the importance of community involvement. "The Obama Presidential Center is a place where the world meets the best of the city of Chicago, and our volunteers will help bring that vision to life every day," she said. "As Ambassadors, they will create a welcoming and inclusive experience for visitors while representing the strength, resilience, and leadership of this community."
The foundation argues that the volunteer program reflects Obama's long-standing emphasis on civic service and community engagement, pointing to the 2.2 million volunteers mobilized during Obama's presidential campaign and national service initiatives during his administration.
The $850 million cultural complex on Chicago's South Side is designed to serve as a museum, community hub, and public gathering space. Plans include a 22-story museum tower, athletic and community facilities, public gathering spaces, and a branch of the Chicago Public Library. An economic analysis by Deloitte projects the center could generate $3.1 billion in economic impact over a decade and create thousands of jobs.
Staffing Growth and Volunteer Tradition
While the center is expected to employ roughly 300 full- and part-time workers, foundation officials say volunteers will complement paid staff by helping interact with visitors. The organization has significantly expanded its workforce in recent years, with tax filings showing total salaries and benefits growing from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024 as staffing increased to 337 employees.
The foundation notes that using unpaid volunteers is not unusual in the nonprofit world, with presidential libraries, museums, and cultural institutions frequently employing volunteer programs to assist visitors and support operations. "Volunteerism has been central to President Obama's vision of civic life since his earliest days as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side," the foundation stated.
Construction Progress and Diversity Initiatives
Foundation officials report that more than 50 percent of construction contracts have gone to diverse firms, while approximately one-third of the construction workforce has come from Chicago's South and West Side neighborhoods. Nearly 800 residents have participated in construction pre-apprenticeship programs.
Scheduled to open on Juneteenth, the campus features several buildings including an eight-story granite museum standing 225 feet tall with four floors of exhibits from the Obama presidency and a Sky Room observation deck. The museum exterior features text from President Obama's speech marking the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches, though some architecture critics have questioned the readability of the engraved text.
Personal Connections and Future Vision
Jarrett, who grew up near the project site, has described her close personal relationship with the Obamas, noting they often spent evenings together in the White House residence. In her memoir, she wrote about being "afforded my unique access because I understood that being a friend is being a friend," and described the Obamas as "my dear friends."
Looking ahead, Jarrett expressed hope that visitors will "not only learn about President Obama and the people upon whose shoulders he stands, but also a little bit something about themselves and how they can go and bring change home to their own communities." She emphasized that contracting with racially diverse businesses remains a priority because "we believe inclusion is actually a strength."
