Ruben Bautista

Ruben joined MPC in July 2018 as a member of the inaugural class of King W. Harris interns. As a Harris intern, he supports MPC’s Housing and Community Development agenda. A major component of his work centers on the creation of a community impact assessment tool for policy leaders, organizations and residents in Chicago—one of the recommendations from MPC’s Our Equitable Future roadmap.

Prior to coming to MPC, Ruben served as the political coordinator for Daniel Biss’ gubernatorial campaign. In that capacity, Ruben connected and worked alongside community members, leaders, and elected officials throughout the city. Ruben also helped with the campaign’s field work and volunteer building program. Prior to working on the campaign, Ruben worked for El Valor as their Latino outreach coordinator. At El Valor, Ruben worked on expanding the organization’s outreach efforts and expanding the organization’s programs and services. In addition to his responsibilities in outreach, he also organized community events and projects for the families at El Valor.

Ruben was born and raised in Chicago and still remains involved locally. He currently resides in the Northwest side neighborhood of Belmont Cragin. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and is currently a student at Chicago-Kent College of Law. He is also an associate board member at El Valor and member of the City Clerk’s Civic Engagement Initiative. Ruben is passionate about striving for equitable economic development, establishing strong community bonds, and building a better future for all Chicago residents.