Gery Chico

Gery Chico
Chico at a mayoral debate held in the DuSable Museum of African American History
Born	(1956-08-24) August 24, 1956 (age 60) Chicago, Illinois
Education	BA, University of Illinois at Chicago (1978) JD, Loyola University Chicago School of Law (1985)
Occupation	Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education
Political party	Democratic

Gery J. Chico (/ˈɡɛri ˈtʃiːkoʊ/ GERR-ee CHEE-koh; born August 24, 1956) is a Chicago lawyer, public official, former Democratic primary candidate for United States Senate, and former candidate for Mayor of Chicago. Chico served as the Chief of Staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley from 1992 to 1995, and board president of the Chicago Public Schools from 1995 to 2001. He was named Outstanding School Board President by the Illinois State Board of Education in 1997. From 2007 to 2010, he was board president of the Chicago Park District, and in 2010 he was board president of the City Colleges of Chicago. On June 7, 2011, Chico was named Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

Gery Chico was born on August 24, 1956, to a Mexican-American father, Jesse, and a Greek-Lithuanian mother, Jacqueline (née Kopulos). With his two younger brothers, he grew up in Chicago's McKinley Park neighborhood. His mother also worked as a secretary at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry. Chico attended a now-closed parochial school, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Elementary School at 35th and Hermitage, where he headed the altar boys and patrol boys, and also played baseball for two years. A hip injury kept him in a wheelchair during his freshman year at Thomas Kelly High School.