Office of Bureau Chief Economic Development

About the Bureau

The Cook County Bureau of Economic Development features the Office of Economic Development, which provides the overall strategic management of the Department of Planning and Development, Department of Building and Zoning, and Zoning Board of Appeals. 

The Office of Economic Development drives the County’s regional collaboration efforts with a strategic focus on sector-driven and place-based strategies to further racial equity and inclusion and leverage additional public and private resources.

Learn more about departments within the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development here: 

• Department of Building and Zoning (B&Z)
• Department of Planning and Development (DPD)
• Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA)

Meet our bureau chief

Xochitl Flores serves as Bureau Chief of the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development (BED), where she leads the County’s economic and community development strategy and oversees the Office of Economic Development, Department of Planning and Development, Department of Building and Zoning, and Zoning Board of Appeals. Since becoming Bureau Chief in 2019, Flores has advanced Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s vision for equitable economic growth and improved quality of life for residents and communities across Cook County.

Under Flores’ leadership, BED significantly expanded the scale and reach of the County’s economic development work. She led the deployment of nearly $300 million in American Rescue Plan Act investments and the development of initiatives empowering small business growth, housing stability, community development, workforce development and economic mobility. These investments included the nation’s largest publicly funded guaranteed income pilot and a comprehensive small business ecosystem that serves thousands of businesses each year.

As Cook County moved beyond pandemic recovery, she has led BED’s transition to a sustainable economic development platform, strengthening the organizational infrastructure, partnerships and systems needed to manage an approximately $130 million annual portfolio and bring successful approaches to scale.

Flores is also proactively positioning Cook County for the next generation of economic growth. She was instrumental in establishing the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership, a first-of-its-kind collaboration among Cook County, the City of Chicago and surrounding counties to strengthen regional economic competitiveness. Her work includes advancing opportunities in quantum and microelectronics, advanced manufacturing and other emerging industries, while connecting these investments to workforce development, business growth and broader economic opportunities for Cook County residents and communities.

Her leadership is guided by extensive experience across the public and private sectors. Before joining Cook County, she served as Assistant Commissioner for the City of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development and previously worked as a consultant serving Fortune 500 companies and major public institutions.

Flores is an alumna of the University of Chicago Civic Leadership Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University.

Early in spring 2020, the Civic Consulting Alliance sat down with Xochitl Flores for an in-depth interview. She was asked to reflect upon the collaboration and its impact on the Bureau—whose work is even more critical now as it prepares for a strong and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Read the full interview here.