President Preckwinkle Announces Her Choice for County Budget Director

Tanya Anthony, the current Chief Administrative Officer of the Chicago Park District, is Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's choice to be the County's next Budget Director.

Preckwinkle will present Anthony's appointment at the July 1 County Board of Commissioners meeting. The appointment will be considered first by the Board's Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, and then by the full Board at its next meeting.

Anthony has been the Chicago Park District's Chief Administrative Officer since 2011.  In that role, she provided executive leadership in areas such as procurement, employment, communications, information technology and general administrative services.

Tanya Anthony is an outstanding candidate for Cook County Budget Director, Preckwinkle said. As part of our search we interviewed numerous candidates from both the Chicago area and across the country, and Tanya emerged as our clear choice.

She has a deep background in government and her work at the Park District in linking performance goals to budget development will prove valuable as we continue to refine and improve our budget process and the use of performance metrics to drive Cook County's operation and finances.

Anthony began her career as a Cook County Correctional Officer in 1995 and as a result will provide a unique perspective on the County's budget initiatives related to reforming the criminal justice system. She then began a career in public finance with the City of Chicago with progressively increased responsibility between 2000-2006, and served as the Chicago Park District's Director of the Office of Management and Budget until 2011. During this time period she served as a member of the Government Finance Officers' Association committee on Budget and worked on associated best practices in public sector budgeting.

As Chief Administrative Officer for the Park District, Anthony implemented numerous actions to reduce expenditures and increase efficiencies such as automating processes and implementing reverse auctions for the purchase of goods and services. She also established a department which was responsible for improving the quality of the District's workforce through evaluation, and providing educational opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Anthony is a U.S. Army veteran. She has a master's degree in Public Administration from Governors State University and a master's degree in Business Administration from the Keller Graduate School of Management.

I am grateful for the confidence shown by President Preckwinkle in nominating me for this position, Anthony said. With nearly 25 years in public service, I count it an honor to have this opportunity to positively impact Cook County government through sound fiscal management.

Tanya has demonstrated progressive management throughout her career, Preckwinkle said. Her wealth of experience will serve the County well as we face challenging budgetary times.

Anthony succeeds Andrea Gibson, who left her position as the County's Budget Director in May to become Director of Project Management of the Cook County Health and Hospitals System.