Association Leadership

 

Ray Vázquez

Executive Vice President of Government Relations

 

Ray Vázquez joined the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago in January 2004 as executive vice president. In his current capacity, Ray leads the Association's government relations opeartion and public policy strategy.

 

Before joining the YMCA, he was appointed commissioner of the Department of Human Services on November 2, 1999 by Mayor Richard M. Daley.  The Chicago Department of Human Services had an operating budget of $250 million with 500 employees.

 

Prior to that role, Vázquez was appointed vice chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, Office of Administrative Services in 1998. His responsibilities included strategic planning, resource development, and purchasing/contract compliance as well as master capital and facilities planning.  He was the lead for the development and securing of the $385 million bond for the City Colleges Improvement Program.

 

As regional manager of the Chicago Park District from 1994-1998, Vázquez oversaw 138 park sites and supervised six departments, including finance, marketing communications, human resources, facilities maintenance/landscaping, security and field operations.  He was responsible for securing a $500,000 grant from the Charitable Bulls Foundation for the implementation of the Late-Nite Basketball program.

 

Prior to his 10 years of government service, Vázquez worked for 17 years as a YMCA professional.  His positions included executive director of the Logan Square YMCA, vice president of urban initiatives and operations director of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.  In these roles, he founded the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago's Street Intervention Program aimed at reaching youth in gangs and providing positive alternatives to the streets.  He also managed multi-million dollar budgets at several YMCAs. Vázquez worked as youth sports director from 1981-1986 and youth director from 1975-1979.

 

In 2007, Vazquez’s extraordinary political and ambassador skills positioned him to leverage the YMCA’s agenda in Washington, D.C. and local communities the Y serves. He focuses his efforts on government and community entities at the local, state and federal levels.

 

Vázquez has served on numerous youth agency boards. Currently, he is a board member of Leadership Greater Chicago, City Colleges of Chicago Foundation and Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, and he is a committee member of the YMCA of the USA National Planning Advisory Council. 

 

Vázquez has a master's of science in management/human resources from National Louis University.  He earned a bachelor's of arts in sociology from Northeastern Illinois University and an associate in arts from Truman College.