Take Five with Brian Cleary, Motor Truck Driver for Facilities, Warehousing, and Logistics Services

Take Five is a series that highlights some of the many members of the CPS community who are going above and beyond for our schools. If you know someone who is making a difference, nominate them to be featured here.

Meet Brian Cleary, a motor truck driver with our District’s Facilities Team who is concluding his CPS career TODAY after 53 years of dedicated service!

A graduate of CPS’ Fenger High School, Brian joined the District in 1973, spending five years in the warehouse before moving onto the trucks. As a driver, he has been responsible for delivering mail to dozens of CPS schools, as well as transporting furniture, technology, and other supplies needed for teaching and learning.

“Brian is a consummate professional who transforms routine deliveries into meaningful community moments,” says Sharmin Ballard, Senior Manager of Warehousing and Logistics for the CPS Facilities Team. “His impact is most evident when he is mentoring a new hire, or when I receive praise from school staff recognizing him for going above and beyond.”

Brian’s steady work ethic and genuine passion for CPS will leave a lasting, positive impact on his colleagues, and on generations of our District’s school communities. Learn more about his remarkable tenure below.

What has kept you coming back to CPS year after year?

I love my job and my coworkers. Everyone gets along and is friendly. What can I say - it’s been the perfect work environment!

How would people who know you through CPS describe you?

I hope they’d describe me as someone with an easy-going personality, and also as someone who was always smiling when they saw me at work.

What was a particularly memorable time during your 53 years with CPS?

I’ll always remember the deliveries I was in charge of when everyone came back to school after the pandemic. There were so many boxes! My job felt really important then, because I was bringing our schools the supplies they needed to keep everybody healthy and safe.

What will you miss about working at CPS?

I’ve worked routes all over the city, and the thing I’ll miss most is the people. I’ll miss seeing the people I work with, and all of the staff I’ve come to know in our schools.

What are you looking forward to in your retirement?

Mainly helping my daughter take care of my two grandsons, who are eight and six. I look forward to spending more time with them and getting to watch them grow up.