Arnaldo Rivera

Chief Administrative & Equity Officer

Navy Pier

Arnie Rivera joined Navy Pier in May 2021 as the Chief Administrative and Equity Officer, a newly created role overseeing key administrative functions, including Arts, Culture, & Engagement; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); Resource Development; Marketing & Communications; Strategy & Planning; People and Culture; and Data Analytics. He is also the Chairman of the Board of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, having been appointed to the role by Governor Pritzker in February 2023. As stated in the Authority’s By-Laws, he also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Authority.
He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer for Chicago Public Schools (CPS), where he was responsible for overseeing the operations of the third largest public-school system in the country. His responsibilities included managing 700 schools, modular buildings, annexes, and administrative offices across the district. He also developed and executed the strategic planning and budget process for more than $2.5 billion in capital construction between 2018-2021, the largest three-year outlay in the history of the district.
Under his leadership, CPS successfully implemented a comprehensive nutrition program, the third largest K-12 food service program in the United States, serving 62 million meals to students each year. He also managed other critical divisions on behalf of CPS, including student transportation, safety and security, procurement, and information technology. In addition, he led the teams that successfully negotiated the past three collective bargaining agreements with the Chicago Teachers Union.
Arnie’s previous roles include Senior Strategic Advisor for After School Matters and Chief Operating Officer for the Chicago Public Education Fund. At After School Matters, he was responsible for the development and management of a long-term growth strategy to support the organization’s growth from 20,000 students to more than 30,000 students in a five-year period. As COO at Chicago Public Education Fund, he successfully led the execution of the organization’s development strategy, helping raise $20 million for the Fund. In addition to his work in the nonprofit space, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Education for former Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He also worked as a financial analyst for Lehman Brothers, Inc. in New York City at the onset of his career. He later transitioned to become a CPS teacher through the Golden Apple Teacher Education (GATE) Program, an alternative teacher certification program.
In 2018, he was named to Crain’s Chicago Business’ coveted 40 under 40 list. His Chicago area roots extend to his time as a student at Northwestern University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Master of Science in Education and Social Policy.