Dr. Lázaro López

A nationally recognized leader at the intersection of workforce and education, Dr. López has made career-connected learning through employer partnerships the foundation of his district’s academic programs. He has been featured by EdWeek as a 2025 District Leader to Learn From, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Profiles of Change, and by RoadTrip Nation on PBS. Honored as Illinois High School Principal of the Year for his commitment to economic mobility, López has played a pivotal role in shaping state education and workforce policy. As the longest-serving chair of the Illinois Community College Board (2015-25), he led the Illinois Workforce Board’s Task Force on Youth Apprenticeships. Lopez also contributes to national policy discussions as a member of the education working group for the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Commission on Workforce in America in Washington, D.C., and the Gates Foundation Commission on Purposeful Pathways.