Rey B. Gonzalez, El Valor's President & CEO, Celebrates 40 Years of Dedication to Inclusion and Social Justice

Rey B. Gonzalez, President and CEO of El Valor Corporation, recently celebrated 40 years with the Agency. Rey has served in this role since 2013 after retiring as Vice President for Legislative and Community Affairs at ComEd, an Exelon Company. Rey also served as Chairman of El Valor’s Board of Directors for 31 years prior to assuming his role at El Valor.

He was present when El Valor was a very small organization in a building in severe need of repairs. Through Rey’s leadership, El Valor flourished and became the first bilingual, bicultural rehabilitation center in the State of Illinois; started the first computer programming training center for people with disabilities in Illinois; built the first intermediate care facility in the State of Illinois; initiated Tocar El Futuro/Touch the Future early childhood education model; and helped develop the awareness campaign on the importance of early childhood development; Parents As First Teachers.

Under Rey’s leadership, three Children & Family Centers have been built and the residential program for adults with intellectual disabilities now boasts six separate residences. El Valor now serves over 4,000 children, adults, and their families. El Valor has become the 2nd largest provider of Early Childhood Education in the state of Illinois and a premier facility for adults with disabilities focusing on increasing inclusion and gaining independence.

A tireless advocate for social justice, Rey advocated for equity in technology for lower income non-English speaking members of the community served by El Valor, spearheading the installation of SMART Classrooms, integration of iPads at all facilities, and facilitating greater access to technology for all those at El Valor.

Join us in recognition of Rey’s 40 years of service to El Valor and the community!