Rey B. Gonzalez, the co-founder of USHLI and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the last 25 years, received the National Hispanic Hero Award at USHLI’s 30th national conference.

Gonzalez, a lifelong Chicago resident, grew up on the Southeast side of the city and earned an advanced degree from Northern Illinois University. He worked for the Chicago Urban League and was Midwest Director for the National Council of La Raza, before accepting a position with ComEd as Public Affairs Director. In 1998 he accepted a position with McDonald’s as Vice President of Diversity. In 2002 Gonzalez accepted a position with the Exelon Corporation as Vice President for Corporate Diversity and now serves as Vice President for State Legislative and Community Affairs at ComEd.

In presenting the award, USHLI President Juan Andrade said, “Rey’s commitment to community service is a model of servant leadership. Rarely has one person’s work risen to this magnitude or served to empower millions of Latinos in 40 states. He is indeed a national hero.”