Chancellor Salgado Shares Expertise During Panel Discussion at AWS Imagine

Technology is driving change across all industries—and education is key to preparing today’s learners and tomorrow’s workforce.

At Amazon Web Services’ Imagine Conference on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado joined a panel of leaders in education and technology to discuss how industry and education can partner to meet student expectations and keep pace with the evolving demands of the tech industry.

For his part, Chancellor Salgado talked about the importance of career connectedness and offering work-based learning opportunities to our students, including internships, apprenticeships, and beyond, so that they gain real-world experience. He also emphasized the critical role that industry partners play in ensuring our curriculum is relevant.

Chancellor Salgado was joined by Raj Echambadi, president of Illinois Institute of Technology, Michael Mojica, managing partner and cybersecurity leader for the Americas at IBM Consulting, and Jason Thoron, director of talent management for the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology.

Recently, City Colleges celebrated the first cohort of students to complete the Machine Learning University program—a collaboration between City Colleges and AWS that is offered at no cost through Kennedy-King College’s Tech Launchpad. Students who completed the entire program took five courses on various AI and machine learning topics and learned directly from experts in the industry.