OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
January 13, 2016
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a resolution honoring the life and memory of Vanessa Rich. Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, With profound sadness and an overwhelming sense of loss, the Members of this Chamber mourn the death, on December 27, 2015, at age 64, of Vanessa Ann Rich, Chicago's Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Family and Support Services ("DFSS"), and a fierce advocate for our City's Head Start and Early Head Start programs; and
WHEREAS, Born on October 30, 1951 in Monmouth, Illinois, Ms. Rich received her Master of Arts Degree from Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. She began her distinguished career in early childhood education in the summer of 1965 as a volunteer teen intern for the newly created Head Start Program. This transformative experience set the stage for her life's work as a champion for Head Start and the children and families it benefitted; and
WHEREAS, Driven by a fervent belief in the value of quality early learning, and by a passion to expand access to critical early learning services to all children and families, Ms. Rich quickly earned her reputation as a formidable leader and fearless advocate for early childhood education. She religiously wore a pin on her jacket that read ''Head Start Works"; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Rich joined the City on September 1, 2004, where she initially assisted in overseeing Chicago's Head Start Grant. Later, as deputy commissioner of DFSS, Ms. Rich was responsible for the oversight, policy development and implementation of Chicago's Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Along with her team, she successfully managed four Triennial Head Start Reviews in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2014. Her tireless efforts were a major contributing factor to the success of these r...
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