Ricardo Estrada

President and CEO

Ric Estrada is CEO of Metropolitan Family Services, one of Illinois’ largest and best-respected human services agencies. Since joining Metropolitan in 2011, he has helped the agency more than quadruple in revenue and families served.

Ric has three decades of human services leadership experience. Prior to joining Metropolitan he served as First Deputy Commissioner of the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS). He previously served as Executive Director of Erie Neighborhood House in Chicago.

Ric serves on the Board of Directors of ComEd, Metra, the Grand Victoria Foundation, and the Exelon Foundation. Ric is also the former Board Chair of the Woods Fund.

Honored as a Marshall Memorial Fellow, Ric also has been recognized as a Leadership Greater Chicago Distinguished Fellow. He has received the City of Chicago’s Legacy Award, the City Club of Chicago’s John A. McDermott Award for Distinguished Social Leadership, the University of Illinois at Chicago’s City Partner Award, and the University of Chicago’s Inaugural SSA Social Impact Alumni Award. In addition, Ric was named a Roberto Clemente honoree by the Chicago Cubs and has received the NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award from the Chicago Bears. Additional accolades include being named “Person of the Year” by the Corporate Responsibility Group of Chicago, receiving a Kellogg CEO Perspectives Fellowship, and earlier in his career, being selected as one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ “40 Under 40.”

Ric’s educational background includes an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an M.A. from the University of Chicago Crown School of Social Work, Policy and Practice, and a B.S. in Psychology from Loyola University of Chicago.

He and his wife, Beatriz Ponce de León, reside in Chicago and are the parents of two young adult daughters.