The Obama Presidential Center is seeking dozens of unpaid volunteers to help operate its Chicago campus despite paying its chief executive a salary of $740,000.
The Obama Foundation announced this week that it is recruiting between 75 and 100 volunteer “ambassadors” ahead of the center’s opening later this year.
The volunteers will greet visitors, guide guests through exhibits and help with events across the massive campus.
The volunteer program will launch when the Obama Presidential Center opens in June.
Meanwhile, the foundation’s chief executive, longtime Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett, earns one of the largest salaries within the organization.
Federal tax filings show Jarrett received $740,000 in compensation in 2024.
The same salary was paid to her in both 2023 and 2022.
Jarrett has been one of former President Barack Obama’s closest political allies for decades.
She served as a senior adviser in the Obama White House and later became CEO of the Obama Foundation in 2021.
Jarrett defended the new volunteer program in a statement announcing the initiative.
“The Obama Presidential Center is a place where the world meets the best of the city of Chicago,” she said.
“Our volunteers will help bring that vision to life every day.”
Foundation officials say volunteers will help create a welcoming experience for visitors arriving at the new facility.
According to the foundation, ambassadors will greet guests, explain exhibits and assist with events taking place throughout the campus.
Recruitment efforts are focused primarily on Chicago residents.
The Obama Presidential Center is a massive cultural complex being built in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side, per the Daily Mail.
The project has cost more than $850 million to construct.
Plans for the campus include a 22-story museum tower, community facilities, public gathering spaces and a branch of the Chicago Public Library.
An economic analysis commissioned by the foundation estimates the center could generate roughly $3.1 billion in economic activity over the next decade.
Officials say the project is expected to create thousands of jobs related to construction and operations.
When the campus opens, the center will employ about 300 full- and part-time workers.
The volunteer ambassadors will supplement the paid staff by assisting visitors and helping manage large crowds.
The use of volunteers is not unusual for nonprofit institutions.
Museums, cultural centers and presidential libraries frequently rely on volunteer programs to help guide guests and support operations.
The Obama Foundation says the program reflects the former president’s long-standing focus on civic engagement.
“Volunteerism has been central to President Obama’s vision of civic life,” the foundation said in announcing the initiative.
Still, the announcement has drawn attention because of the large salaries paid to the organization’s leadership.
Financial filings show the foundation’s payroll has expanded significantly as the presidential center project advanced.
Total salaries and benefits at the organization grew from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024.
The foundation now employs roughly 337 workers.
Annual revenue for the nonprofit has also increased, reaching nearly $210 million.
Jarrett has described the project as a major investment in Chicago’s South Side.
She grew up near the area where the center is being built and has said the project is personally meaningful to her.
Scheduled to open on Juneteenth 2026, the Obama Presidential Center will include a museum dedicated to Obama’s presidency along with community spaces and public programs.
