The Obama Foundation is recruiting up to 100 unpaid volunteers to help operate the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago when the long-delayed facility opens this June.
The organization says the volunteer roles will be part of a civic engagement initiative tied to former President Barack Obama’s emphasis on community service.
The announcement has drawn attention after recent reports revealed that the foundation’s CEO, Valerie Jarrett, earned $740,000 in 2024.
Jarrett, a longtime Obama adviser and former senior White House official, has received the same $740,000 salary each year since 2022, according to federal tax filings.
Foundation officials say the volunteers will work alongside roughly 300 full- and part-time employees at the $850 million campus.
The unpaid volunteers, referred to as “ambassadors,” will greet visitors, help direct them around the facility, and provide information about exhibits and activities throughout the center.
The 19.3-acre complex in Chicago’s Jackson Park will include a 22-story museum tower, an athletic facility, and a Chicago Public Library branch.
Officials say the program will begin with between 75 and 100 volunteers and could expand in the future.
According to the foundation, volunteerism reflects Obama’s long-standing focus on civic participation dating back to his time as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side.
“Volunteerism has been central to President Obama’s vision of civic life since his earliest days as a community organizer,” the foundation said in a statement.
Jarrett also promoted the volunteer program as part of the center’s broader mission.
“The Obama Presidential Center will be 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,” Jarrett said.
Financial disclosures show that executive compensation at the foundation has grown substantially as the organization expanded.
Total salaries and benefits rose from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024 as staffing grew to more than 330 employees.
Annual revenue for the foundation has also climbed to nearly $210 million.
Several other former Obama administration officials have received large salaries at the organization as well.
Former White House political director David Simas earned more than $600,000 annually while leading the foundation from 2017 to 2020.
Adewale Adeyemo, who later served as deputy Treasury secretary under President Joe Biden, made roughly $540,000 during his time with the foundation.
Other senior executives tied to the Obama administration have earned salaries ranging from about $300,000 to $400,000 annually.
The foundation says the center will serve as a major economic engine for Chicago’s South Side.
An economic analysis conducted by Deloitte projects that the facility will generate $3.1 billion in economic activity over 10 years.
The project has also created thousands of construction jobs and is expected to bring new tourism to the area.
The Obama Presidential Center is scheduled to officially open on Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States.
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