Gloria Castillo To Serve as 2025 Valparaiso University Commencement Speaker

Valparaiso University welcomes Chicago native Gloria Castillo, founder of CMC Enterprises, LLC and former president and CEO of Chicago United, who will serve as the commencement speaker closing out the semester on Saturday, May 10, 2025. 

“Gloria’s immense efforts have made a tremendous impact on the business sector of the Chicago area,” José D. Padilla, president of Valparaiso University, said. “Her dedication to service and leadership exemplifies the core values of our University, and the values we want these graduates to carry out into the world.” 

Castillo served Chicago United — a corporate membership organization dedicated to advancing multicultural leadership in business — for 16 years, during which she collaborated with leaders in local industries, philanthropy, and the community to deliver excellence in corporate governance, executive management and business partnerships. 

In addition to her distinguished career with Chicago United, Castillo is the founder of CMC Enterprises, LLC, an airport concessions firm and joint venture partner with Hudson Group at O’Hare International Airport. She also served as director of We Rise Together, a funders collaborative dedicated to ensuring an equitable financial recovery across Chicago communities following the Covid-19 crisis.  An advocate for workforce development, she also served as a co-chair of the transition team for Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. 

Today, Castillo is vice chair for the Field Foundation of Illinois and on the board of directors for Mather, as well as having served on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust. 

“I am honored to speak to the graduates at Valparaiso University,” said Castillo.  “It is an institution dedicated to providing an excellent educational experience and a values-based foundation for the future. “ 

Castillo has received numerous awards for her achievements in business, including an honorary Doctorate in Social Justice from Roosevelt University and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award. Castillo has also received the Minority Small Business Champion of the Year award from the Small Business Administration in 2008, and she earned the 2006 Minority Business Advocate of the Year honor from the U.S. Department of Commerce-Minority Business Development Agency.

Commencement will be divided into two events, with the College of Business and College of Arts and Sciences ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. and the ceremony for the College of Engineering and College of Nursing and Health Professions beginning at 2 p.m. Both events will take place in the Athletic-Recreation Center. For more information on the day’s events, please visit valpo.edu/commencement.