Jesse Ruiz

Jesse H. Ruiz 1965 Ruiz was the son of Mexican immigrants. From 1948 through 1955. his father was an undocumented immigrant. His father had originally come to the United States legally in 1943 as part of the bracero program, and ultimately received a green card.

Ruiz grew up in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago. In order to commute from his house to the high school, he needed to take three different Chicago Transit Authority busses. He continued to serve on the board for many years. He focused on corporate securities, mergers and acquisitions and the representation of public and middle-market companies.

Ruiz was on the American Bar Association's Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibility, to which the president of the ABA had appointed him in August 2013.

Ruiz served as president of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, chairman of the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois, chairman of the Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms. For the 2017–2018 year, Ruiz served in the Chicago Bar Association's position of second vice president. For the 2018-2019 year, Ruiz served in the Chicago Bar Association's position of first vice president.

Ruiz served as the president of the Chicago Bar Association from 2019 through 2020. He was sworn in as president on June 18, 2019, succeeding Steven M. Elrod. Immediately after becoming president, he joined in with other voices to call for greater diversity on the benches of state courts. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruiz announced that the Chicago Bar Association would be waiving the administrative fee that it normally charged callers on its hotline who later engaged the attorney they spoke with for a consultation. On June 26, 2020, Ruiz was succeeded as president by Maryam Ahmad.

The Vistria Group Since September 2021, Ruiz has served as chief operating officer and general counsel to the Vistria Group. Ruiz oversees all legal and compliance functions of The Vistria Group. In 2024, Crain's Chicago Business credited Ruiz with contributing to the doubling of the firm's size, increasing from one office to three and growing the value of the assets managed by the firm to more than $12.9 billion. He succeeded Janet Steiner. Ruiz resigned from the position in May 2011 after being appointed to the Chicago Board of Education. Byrd-Bennet's leave of absence, and the start of his interim tenure, began April 20. He served in this interim role for a total of three months. Byrd-Bennet resigned, amid Ruiz's interim tenure, on June 1, 2015.

Byrd-Bennet's leave of absence and subsequent resignation had been spurred by a federal bribery investigation into her.

In July 2015, Forest Claypool was appointed Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Board of Education to take office as permanent CEO of Chicago Public Schools effective July 27.

Years later, in 2024, Ruiz signed an open letter opposing Mayor Brandon Johnson's ouster of CEO Pedro Martinez.

President of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners (2016–2018) On November 20, 2015, Mayor Emanuel announced that he would appoint Ruiz to the Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District, and that he recommended the other commissioners elect him the board's president. Ruiz's appointment was approved by Chicago City Council on January 13, 2016. He was elected president of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners the same day. Ruiz was succeeded as Park District Board of Commissioners President in early 2019 by Avis LaVelle. His former seat on the board remained vacant until mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed Jose M. Muñoz to it in September 2019.

2018 Illinois Attorney General campaign

Ruiz unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Party nomination 2018 Illinois Attorney General election, placing sixth in a crowded field of eight candidates, receiving 5.4% of the vote.

Ruiz's candidacy was endorsed by United States congressman Luis Gutierrez.

Citing his parents' Mexican immigrant background, Ruiz said that a motivating factor in his decision to seek the office were what he considered attacks on immigrant rights and minority rights by then-President Donald Trump. Ruiz ran on a pro-immigrant platform. Ruiz's negative characterization of Raoul as a "political insider" came despite the fact the Ruiz himself had strong connections to powerful politicians.

Deputy Governor of Illinois for Education (2018–2021) In December 2018, governor-elect J. B. Pritzker designated Ruiz, alongside Daniel Hynes and Christian Mitchell, to be one of three deputy governors.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruiz was involved in discussions as to whether youth sports could be safely conducted, including discussions with the Illinois High School Association and the Illinois Elementary School Association regarding whether youth sports.

In August 2021, it was announced that Ruiz would be stepping down from the position of deputy governor for education. Ruiz told the Chicago Sun-Times that he, "wasn’t looking to leave, but a great opportunity to return to private practice presented itself." Governor Pritzker credited Ruiz, upon his departure with having made, "an enormous difference for our entire state’s education systems." Ruiz was confirmed. On January 22, 2025, the board unanimously voted to make Ruiz its new chairman, succeeding Donald Edwards in the role.

Nonprofit board memberships Ruiz has served on the boards of the Chicago Legal Clinic, Metropolitan Planning Council, Erie Neighborhood House, Chicago Commons, the Chicago Community Trust,

Awards Crain's Chicago Business "40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Chicago Business" (2003) National Association of State Boards of Education "Distinguished Service Award" (2011) Walmart Legal Department's Walmart Spark Award for "outstanding client and community service and dedication to diversity in the legal profession" (2011) American Diabetes Association "Chicago Father of the Year" (2014) Hispanic National Bar Association "Latino Layer of the Year" (2014) Crain's Chicago Business "Chicago's Most Influential Latinos" honoree (2019) Crain's Chicago Business "Notable Latinos Leader" honoree (2024)

Electoral history