Jorge Ramirez, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL), has joined The John Marshall Law School Board of Trustees.
Leonard Amari, president of the board, said Ramirez will be completing the term of Umberto Davi who has stepped down from his position. Ramirez will serve through May 2013, and then will be eligible for election to a full three-year term.
“I am so appreciative of the time Umberto Davi gave to the board, and his continued support of the law school,” said Amari. “Stepping down was a difficult decision for him to make, but as Umberto moves up the leadership ranks of the 37,000-member Illinois State Bar Association he didn’t think he could give equal time to both volunteers positions and do them well.
“I know that with Mr. Ramirez we’ve selected a new board member who will be just as involved in our decisions on behalf of the students, faculty and staff at the law school.”
Ramirez has been president of the Chicago Federation of Labor since 2010 after previously serving for four years as secretary-treasurer. Prior to joining the CFL, Ramirez was vice president and later executive director of Local 1546 of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
“I am proud to join the board of The John Marshall Law School, a leading legal education institution not only here in Chicago but throughout the country,” Ramirez said. “John Marshall’s longstanding tradition of promoting access to education to all people, and its commitment to helping students become responsible members of the community benefit our society in so many ways.
“The labor movement has a major stake in the study and practice of law as a means of protecting the rights of working people. I hope to bring my experience and perspective to the board in a way that will contribute to the school’s mission and ultimately have a positive effect on working men and women,” he added.
Ramirez gives his time not only to John Marshall but also to a number of other boards and not-for-profits. He is a member of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Labor Advisory Committee; the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Advisory Council on Agriculture, Small Business and Labor; and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority Advisory Council. He is on the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau Board of Directors and serves as co-chair of the City of Chicago Labor Management Cooperative Committee.
In the community, Ramirez is a rector of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, and is on the boards of the Mercy Home for Boys and Girls and the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago.
