The Obama Presidential Center is on the lookout for volunteers to serve at its Chicago site, set to open its doors later this year, despite the fact that its CEO receives a substantial salary of $740,000.

The Obama Foundation announced this week that it plans to enlist up to 100 volunteers to welcome and assist visitors at the center, which is scheduled to begin operations in June.

This initiative to recruit volunteer ‘ambassadors’ aims to engage community members in roles that directly interact with the public, the foundation explained.

Concurrently, Valerie Jarrett, a close associate of Barack Obama, commands a notable six-figure salary to manage the expansive 19.3-acre campus located in Chicago’s Jackson Park.

Jarrett is part of the foundation’s well-compensated executive team and has been a longtime confidante and advisor to Obama.

Tax records reveal that Jarrett’s compensation amounted to $740,000 in 2024, mirroring her earnings from the previous two years, 2023 and 2022.

In a statement announcing the program, Jarrett said volunteers will play a key role in shaping the visitor experience at the center.

‘The Obama Presidential Center is a place where the world meets the best of the city of Chicago, and our volunteers will help bring that vision to life every day,’ Jarrett said.

The Obama Foundation is recruiting 75 to 100 unpaid ‘Ambassadors’ to greet visitors and guide guests around the new presidential campus

The Barack Obama Presidential Center has cost upwards of $850 million to construct

Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation and longtime Obama adviser, earned about $740,000 in compensation, according to recent nonprofit tax filings

‘As Ambassadors, they will create a welcoming and inclusive experience for visitors while representing the strength, resilience, and leadership of this community. 

‘Together, we are building something that inspires service, connection, and action far beyond our walls.’

Foundation officials say the volunteers will help greet guests and guide them through the various attractions planned for the campus.

During the initial phase of the program, volunteers will also explain exhibits and assist with events so that guests ‘feel personally welcomed from the moment they arrive,’ according to the foundation.

Recruitment efforts are focused primarily on residents of Chicago.

The foundation said the volunteer program reflects what it describes as Obama’s long-standing emphasis on civic service and community engagement.

The Obama Presidential Center – a sprawling cultural complex rising on the city’s South Side – has been described by the foundation as an $850 million campus designed to serve as a museum, community hub and public gathering space.

Plans for the site include a 22-story museum tower, athletic and community facilities, public gathering spaces and a branch of the Chicago Public Library.

The foundation says the project will also generate major economic activity for the surrounding area.

An economic analysis conducted by Deloitte projected the center could produce $3.1 billion in economic impact over a decade and create thousands of jobs tied to construction and operations.

Former President Barack Obama is still searching for 100 unpaid volunteers to help on opening day

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s Jackson Park is expected to open in June 2026 after years of planning and construction

Foundation officials say more than 50 percent of construction contracts have gone to diverse firms, while about one-third of the construction workforce has come from Chicago’s South and West Side neighborhoods.

Nearly 800 residents have also participated in construction pre-apprenticeship programs, according to the foundation.

While the center is expected to employ roughly 300 full- and part-time workers, the foundation says volunteers will complement the paid staff by helping interact with visitors.

The organization has steadily expanded its workforce over the years as the presidential center project advanced.

Tax filings show total salaries and benefits at the foundation grew from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024, as staffing increased to 337 employees and annual revenue approached $210 million.

Still, the foundation’s new program will rely on unpaid volunteers to help greet visitors and guide them around the campus.

The practice is not unusual in the nonprofit world. Presidential libraries, museums and cultural institutions frequently use volunteer programs to assist visitors and support operations.

‘Volunteerism has been central to President Obama’s vision of civic life since his earliest days as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side,’ the foundation said in announcing the program.

President Barack Obama walks alongside senior advisor Valerie Jarrett in October 2016

The pair remained close before, during and after Obama’s terms in the White House. The pair are pictured in here in 2022

Jarrett, a close confidante of Barack Obama, became CEO of the Obama Foundation in 2021. Pictured, President Barack Obama and advisor Valerie Jarrett are seen together in July 2014

Jarrett, left, has described the Obamas as ‘my dear friends’ and said the trio would often spend time together relaxing after long days in Washington, sometimes watching movies together

The statement also pointed to the 2.2 million volunteers mobilized during Obama’s presidential campaign and national service initiatives during his administration, including the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and United We Serve.

The center’s chief executive, Valerie Jarrett, has been one of the most influential figures in Obama’s political circle for decades.

A former senior adviser in the Obama White House, Jarrett joined the Obama Foundation as CEO in 2021, overseeing the development of the presidential center.

Her relationship with Barack and Michelle Obama predates the presidency and extends deep into their personal lives.

In her memoir Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward, Jarrett described spending evenings with the Obamas in the White House residence, talking about their lives while enjoying drinks and snacks on the Truman Balcony.

‘I was afforded my unique access because I understood that being a friend is being a friend,’ Jarrett wrote.

She also described the Obamas as ‘my dear friends’ and said the trio often spent time together relaxing after long days in Washington.

Scheduled to open on Juneteenth, the Obama Presidential Center consists of several buildings sprawled across the campus in Jackson Park.

Among the amenities is an eight-story museum made of granite that stands at 225 feet tall, featuring four floors of exhibits from the Obama presidency and a Sky Room observation deck.

Large art installations will line the interior of the tower, including an 83-foot-tall abstract glass work collage inspired by African and American history and art history created by Julie Mehretu.

The exterior of the museum building will feature words taken from President Obama’s speech marking the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches.

The exterior of the museum building has been labeled ‘headache-inducing’ and an ‘eye-sore’ for featuring text of a speech that is difficult to read 

The text is engraved across two sides of the building, meaning viewers looking at it from one angle find that it has mismatched run-over lines

The NBA-regulation basketball court includes emblems of Obama’s slogans ‘Yes we can’ and ‘Hope’

However, the museum building was recently blasted on social media after an architecture critic pointed out that the text engraved on the outside is difficult to read. 

The text is engraved across two sides of the building, meaning viewers looking at it from one angle find that it has mismatched run-over lines.

Others agreed, writing that the looming, concrete and granite building’s design is an ‘eye-sore’ and gave them a ‘headache’ while looking at it.

Despite the concerns over its design, Jarrett told CBS News Chicago in December that they are excited to open their doors.

Jarrett explained how this investment and project will demonstrate how diversity can ‘better represent the community in which we’re located and be a national model for how you can be inclusive and have a world-class product and a world-class operation.’

She also told the outlet that contracting with racially diverse businesses is a priority.

‘Because we believe inclusion is actually a strength,’ Jarrett said.

Jarrett, who grew up near the project, added that it’s personally satisfying that the Obamas chose her community to invest in.

The foundation center has cost upwards of $850 million to construct.

‘I hope they not only learn about President Obama and the people upon whose shoulders he stands, but also a little something about themselves and how they can go and bring change home to their own communities, and everyone can do something to be a force for good,’ Jarrett said.