Miguel del Valle

Del Valle is a founding member of Advance Illinois and served on the Board of Directors until 2016. He was appointed by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to the Illinois P-20 Council where he served as Chairman. Additionally del Valle served on several non-profit organizational boards, including Josephinium High School, the Latino Institute, the Spanish Coalition for Housing, and Federation for Community Schools. In 2013, del Valle was appointed by Governor Pat Quinn to the Illinois Students Assistance Commission ("ISAC"), where he served as Vice-Chairman. ISAC's mission is making college accessible and affordable for Illinois students.

Del Valle was also appointed by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn on February 8, 2013, to a five-year term on the Illinois Commerce Commission ("ICC"). The ICC's mission is to balance the interests of consumers and utilities to ensure adequate, efficient, reliable, safe, and least-cost public utility services, while promoting the development of an effectively competitive energy supplier market. The ICC also oversees transportation activities, including railroad safety, trucking insurance and registration, relocation and safety towing, and household goods moving companies.

After Mayor Daley announced that he would not run for another term, del Valle was the first to declare his candidacy in the Chicago mayoral election, 2011. He was the first candidate to air a campaign ad on television, the first to have a website and Facebook page, and the first (and only) candidate to publicly declare he would not accept campaign contributions from companies that do business with the city.

In 2008, del Valle served as an elected Obama delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, where he had a speaking role.

In 2008, del Valle was awarded an honorary degree from National Louis University for his "inspirational leadership."

In the 2006 Illinois primary elections, Del Valle received local media attention for his support of Ramon Ocasio III for judge over the Cook County Democratic Party-endorsed candidate, Ed Lechowicz, son of former Cook County Commissioner and Illinois State Senator Ted Lechowicz. Del Valle, who sponsored legislation to create the subcircuit system, stated that the system was created to give women and minorities the opportunity to serve on the bench.

In 2006, Miguel del Valle was appointed City Clerk of Chicago by Mayor Richard M. Daley after the previous clerk, James Laski, was indicted on federal charges. Del Valle won a citywide election to the post in 2007, becoming the first Latino elected to the Chicago City Clerk's office.

In 1987, del Valle was elected the first Hispanic Senator in the Illinois General Assembly after he defeated Edward Nedza in the Democratic primary. He was the Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois Senate, and he was the first Latino to hold that position. He served as an outspoken advocate for Latino representation in the legislative and judicial branches of government. He was the Co-Chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and was the first Latino member of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. His leadership in redistricting cases in 1981, 1991, and 2001 led to the creation of Latino majority districts on the city, county, and state levels.

After earning a bachelor's and a master's degree in Education and Guidance from Northeastern, del Valle served as Unit Director of the Barreto Boys & Girls Club and then as Executive Director of the Association House, a non-profit organization providing social services and educational programs on Chicago's northwest side. During his time as Executive Director of the Association House, del Valle was heralded by the Chicago Tribune as an "emerging young leader." In 1982, after organizing meetings, rallies, and lobbying Chicago's Chicago City Council, del Valle was successful in re-instating city funding for Association House's successful jobs program for unemployed youth.

Significant City Council transparency efforts include posting nearly 700,000 pages of searchable City Council records to the City Clerk website, www.ChiCityClerk.com. This includes every ordinance passed since 1981, the Byrne Administration, as well as city budgets and Mayoral Executive orders going back nearly 30 years. In addition, for the first time ever, City Council meetings can be watched live or on demand via a City Council video archive on the City Clerk website, www.ChiCityClerk.com.

Del Valle was born in Puerto Rico and was brought to Chicago at the age of four by his parents. He grew up in the predominantly working class Latina/o West Town and Humboldt Park neighborhoods of Chicago. After graduating from Tuley High School (now Roberto Clemente Community Academy) in 1969, he went on to Northeastern Illinois University. At Northeastern del Valle was a student organizer, joining the Union for Puerto Rican Students and serving as treasurer. He was also President of the Spanish Action Youth Committee during his early college days.

Miguel del Valle (born July 24, 1951) is an American politician and the former City Clerk of Chicago. He was an Illinois State Senator for two decades, representing the 2nd District of Chicago from 1987–2006. Del Valle lost his bid for mayor in Chicago's February 22, 2011 municipal elections, coming in third with 53,953 votes. He took office as the President of the Chicago Board of Education on June 26, 2019, having been appointed to that position by Mayor Lori Lightfoot.