Women's History Month

Women Leading the Way: Celebrating Women's History Month

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Cook County Historic Archives and Records Offifice highlighting remarkable women that led Cook County. Thank you to these inspiring leaders past and present who will continue to pave the way for future women. Recognizing Cook Count leaders is an ongoing project, so please let us know about leaders not featured in this list.

Mae Abernathy
Board Member
The Retirement Board County Employees Annuity and Benefit Fund
Delrice Adams
Director
Justice Advisory Council
Donna Alexander, DVM
Director
Animal Control
Zahra Ali
Director
Revenue
Anita Alvarez
State's Attorney
State's Attorney of Cook County
Alma Anaya
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Shannon Andrews
Director
Procurement
Tanya Anthony
Chief Administrative Officer
Bureau of Administration
Ponni Arunkamar
Medical Examiner
Medical Examiner's Office
Anna Ashcraft
Director
Real Estate
Angela Bailey
Director
Adoption & Child Custody Advocacy
Jennifer Ballard Croft
Chief of Staff
State's Attorney's Office
Shelly Banks
Auditor
Cook County Auditor
Mary Bartelme
Judge
Circuit Court (Juvenile Court)
Anna Bemis
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Rachel G. Blanchard
Superintendent
Home for Delinquent and Dependent Children and Juvenile Court
Dorothy A. Boland
County Purchasing Agent
Procurement
Dorothy Brown
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Lena M. Bruno
Zoning Administrator
Building and Zoning
Barbara Bruno
Director
Revenue
Laura Burman
Auditor
Cook County Auditor
Jessica Caffrey
Director
Real Estate
Amy Campanelli
Public Defender
Public Defender
Susan Campbell
Director
Planning and Development
Mildred Casey
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Maria Choca Urban
Director
Planning and Development
Gwendolyn Clemons
Director
Planning and Development
Grace Colbert
Director
Budget and Management Services
Earlean Collins
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Mary Collins
Matron
Home for Delinquent and Dependent Children
Elizabeth A. Conkey
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Lourdes Coss
Director
Procurement
Karen Crawford
Chief of Staff
Office of the President
Delphia M. Culver
Superintendent
Home for Delinquent and Dependent Children and Juvenile Court
Mary Decker Laraia
Chief
Capital Planning and Policy
Bridget Degnen
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Paula Driver
Undersheriff
Sheriff
Donna Dunnings
Chief Financial Officer
Bureau of Finance
Sylvia Edwards
Chief Operating Officer
Oak Forest Hospital
Margaret Egan
Director
Justice Advisory Council
Mrs. Edward J. Fleming
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Xochitl Flores
Chief
Bureau of Economic Development
Mary Nic Foster
Director
Human Rights and Ethics
Kim Foxx
State's Attorney
State's Attorney of Cook County
Rita Fry
Public Defender
Public Defender
Bridget Gainer
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Andrea Gibson
Director
Budget and Management Services
Jackie Gomez
Director
Contract Compliance
Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Elizabeth Granato
Chief
Bureau of Asset Management
Tasha Green Cruzat
Chief of Staff
Office of the President
Annette Guzman
Director
Budget and Management Services
Velisha Haddox
Chief
Bureau of Human Resources
LaVerne Hall
Director
Contract Compliance
Betty Hancock Perry
Director
Contract Compliance
Jacqueline Harder
Director
Economic Development
Michelle Harris
Secretary to the Board
Secretary to the Board of Commissioners
Suzanne Hayes
Director
CDBG Program
Lanetta Haynes Turner
Chief of Staff
Office of the President
Cynthia Henderson
Chief Operating Officer
Oak Forest Hospital
Irene C. Hernandez
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Alexis Herrera
Chief Financial Officer
Sheriff
Mary Jo Horace
Chief Information Officer
Bureau of Technology
Rebecca Horowitz
Director
Justice Advisory Council
Bilqis Jacobs-El
Director
Facilities Management
Salomea Jaranowski
Recorder of Deeds 
Recorder of Deeds
Nancy Jones
Medical Examiner
Medical Examiner's Office
Ann Kalayil
Chief
Bureau of Asset Management
Mary Kehoe Griffin
Chief
Bureau of Public Safety
Robin Kelly
Chief Administrative Officer
Bureau of Administration
Connie Kravitz
Comptroller
Comptroller's Office
Tracey Ladner
Chief
Bureau of Human Resources
Maragaret LaRaviere
Director
Adoption & Child Custody Advocacy
Laura Lechowicz Felicione
Special Legal Assistant
Office of the President
Elaine Lockwood Bean
Chief
Bureau of Asset Management
Carolyn Lopez
Chief
Bureau of Health Services
Rose-Marie Love
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Cathy Maras O'Leary
Chief Information Officer
Bureau of Technology
Martha Martinez
Chief Administrative Officer
Bureau of Administration
Ada Belle McCleery
Manager
Tubercular Hospital, Dunning, Oak Forest
Mary McDonald
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Mary McEnerney
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Adrienne Mebane
Chief of Staff
State's Attorney's Office
Donna Miller
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Peggy Montes
Chair
Commission on Women's Issues
Carol Moseley Braun
Recorder of Deeds
Recorder of Deeds
Joan Patricia Murphy
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Linda Rae Murray
Chief
Bureau of Health Services
Lydia Murray
Chief Information Officer
Bureau of Technology
Maureen Murtaugh
Secretary
Zoning Board of Appeals
A. Emily Napierlaski
Commissioner
Civil Service Commission
Elaine Nemoto
Director
Public Health Nursing Service, Department of Public Health
Jessey Neves
Special Assistant to President
Office of the President
Anna E. Nicholes
Commissioner
Civil Service Commission
Karin Norrignton-Reaves
Director
Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership
Anna Nowak
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Marjorie O'Dea
Chief of Police
Sheriff
Maureen O'Donnell
Chief
Bureau of Human Resources
Lucy Palermo
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Maria Pappas
Treasurer
Treasurer of Cook County
Violet Park
Director
Social Case Work Service, Office of the Chief Judge
Toni Preckwinkle
President
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Kellie Peterson
Zoning Administrator
Building and Zoning
Lillian Piotrowski
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Mrs. Glenn E. Plumb
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Chelsea Pollock
Director
Social Case Work Service, Office of the Chief Judge
Frances Powell
Director
School of Nursing
Aurelia Pucniski
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Clerk of the Circuit Court
June Purcell Guild
Superintendent
Home for Delinquent and Dependent Children
Blanche Pyne
Acting Superintendent
Home for Delinquent and Dependent Children
Jeanne Quinn
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Beatrice Rieckhoff
Commissioner
Civil Service Commission
Shellie Riedle
Director
Budget and Management Services
Simona Rollinson
Chief Information Officer
Bureau of Technology
Ruth M. Rothstein
Chief
Bureau of Health Services
Patricia Rush
Chief Operating Officer
Oak Forest Hospital
Jill Ruzevick
Director
Enterprise Resource Planning
Ruby Ryan
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Maria Saldana
Chief
Bureau of Economic Development
Dorothy E. Schroeder
Recorder of Deeds (Acting)
Recorder of Deeds
Karen L. Scott, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Public Health
Amelia Sears
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Patricia Shymanski
Chief of Staff
Office of the President
Deborah Sims
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Anna L. Smith
County Agent
County Agent
Josephine B. Sneed
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Reshma Soni
Comptroller
Comptroller's Office
Bobbie L. Steele
President
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Deborah Stone
Director
Environment and Sustainability
Juliana Stratton
Director
Justice Advisory Council
Rebecca Strisko
Chief
Bureau of Human Resources
Marie H. Suthers
Commissioner
Board of Elections
Nneka Jones Tapia
Executive Director
Department of Corrections
Michele Thompson
Chief Operating Officer
Provident Hospital
Carmen Triche-Colvin
Purchasing Agent
Procurement
B. Fain Tucker
Chief Judge
Circuit Court (Criminal Court pre-unification)
Jenny Vidis
Director
Human Rights and Ethics
Lisa Walik
Director
Risk Management
Zelda Whittler
Undersheriff
Sheriff
Jaye Williams
Chief Financial Officer
Bureau of Finance
Shellie Williams
Director
Real Estate
Sandra Williams
Secretary to the Board
Secretary to the Board of Commissioners
Darlena Williams-Burnett
Cook County Commissioner
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Stephanie Wright-Griggs
Chief Operating Officer
Provident Hospital
Karen Yarbrough
County Clerk
Cook County Clerk
Deanna Zalas
Director
Risk Management

Below: In 2018, ten women were elected to serve in Cook County Government. Top, from left to right: President Toni Preckwinkle, County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, Commissioner Deborah Sims, Commissioner Bridget Gainer. Bottom, from left to right: County Treasurer Maria Pappas, Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, State's Attorney Kim Foxx, Commissioner Alma E. Anaya, Commissioner Bridget Degnen, Commissioner Donna Miller.

2018 Women Elected