Jeannette Soto
Jeannette Soto was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago and currently serves as a Senior Manager for the Chicago Fire Department (CFD). She oversees the budget, grants, human resources, and financial aspects of the Bureau of Administrative Services. As the sister of a Chicago Police Sergeant, public safety has become her newfound passion. In her previous experience, she worked in charter schools with a focus on human resources and teacher recruitment.
During her graduate studies, Jeannette worked for Chicago Public Schools in schools in her Southwest side community as an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program mentor. The AVID Program targets students who are in the academic middle and are usually underserved.
With her keen sense of civic responsibility and pride, Jeannette has done her civic duty through serving on Chicago Public Schools’ Neighborhood Advisory Councils. In this role, she reviewed Request for Proposals from charter schools that were requesting authorization to operate in her Southwest side community. She participated in interviewing school operators and hosted community forums. She went before the Board of Education to give her recommendations. She also served as a Legislative Advisory Board Member for the Office of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago. She played an integral role in getting the word out to different communities across Illinois about the Invest in Kids Act which supports tax credit scholarships. As a product of Chicago Catholic Schools and having grown up a low-income student, this initiative hit close to home as her family struggled to afford the faith-based education her parents wanted for her.
Jeannette has also volunteered in previous Chicago mayoral campaigns. Currently, she serves as a CFD CARES member. The CFD CARES Program offers staff outreach opportunities to connect with Chicago communities and share information regarding a career in public safety.
Jeannette received a Bachelor’s degree in Management with a concentration in Human Resources and a Master’s degree in Social and Cultural Foundations of Education from DePaul University. She also received her Senior Human Resources Professional Certification from the Society for Human Resource Management. Some of her other accomplishments include the following awards received over the course of her employment: Top Performer, Best Leader with Development, Great Team Hero, Going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty, Simply the Best.
