Obama Presidential Center wants 100 unpaid volunteers while CEO Valerie Jarrett makes $740K
The Obama Foundation is looking for 100 unpaid volunteers to work alongside the former president’s highly paid cronies at the $850 million Obama Presidential Center in Chicago when it opens in June.Officials are pitching the no-paycheck gigs as rooted in former President Barack Obama’s legacy of civic engagement.The recruitment campaign comes after Fox News Digital reported that the organization’s CEO, former top Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, was paid $740,000 in 2024.Foundation officials told Fox News Digital the volunteers will complement about 300 full- and part-time employees at the long-delayed center, which the organization is promoting as a $3.1 billion economic catalyst for the Windy City’s South Side.The new program will have 75 to 100 volunteers, known as “ambassadors,” greet and direct visitors around the campus and share information about exhibits at the 22-story museum tower, athletic center and Chicago Public Library branch, among other amenities.
It is expected to expand in the future. The foundation describes the volunteer program as a key component of its mission, saying volunteers represent its values both onsite and in the community.It is unclear what the salary range for those paid workers will be.However, the foundation’s most recent tax filings provide insight into compensation at the organization’s senior levels.Federal filings viewed by Fox News Digital show Jarrett made $740,000 in 2024, 2023 and 2022, while several former Obama White House officials have collected six-figure salaries as foundation executives.Total salaries and benefits at the foundation climbed from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024 as staffing expanded to 337 employees and annual revenue reached nearly $210 million, according to the filings.
The foundation’s main office is located in Chicago’s Hyde Park, where it runs leadership and community programs in the U.S.and abroad.Still, the foundation is looking to have a cohort of unpaid v...