Leslie Bluhm, JD

Leslie Bluhm was nominated to the AmeriCorps Board of Directors by President Biden in September 2021 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in July 2022.

Bluhm is a social entrepreneur who empowers people to tackle challenges through collaborative action. She serves on the board of directors of Chicago Cares, The Chicago Community Trust, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, OneGoal, Whitney Museum of American Art, Shining Hope for Communities, and Rush Street Interactive, Inc. 

Bluhm co-founded Chicago Cares, Inc. in 1991, the city’s leading volunteer service organization. Chicago Cares builds group volunteer programs that meet the community’s critical needs while using the volunteer experience to educate volunteers from diverse communities about each other, building trust, empathy, and connection. 

Bluhm was named one of six Chicagoans of the year by Chicago Magazine in 2011 and was named in Crain’s 40 under 40 in 1995. 

She earned a BA from the University of Michigan and a JD from the University of Chicago Law School.