President Preckwinkle Appoints New Administrator for County’s Department of Animal and Rabies Control

Dr. Megan Carolan was named administrator of Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control (ARC) following her appointment by President Toni Preckwinkle and approval today by the County’s Board of Commissioners. 

Dr. Carolan has served as interim administrator of ARC since February. Before that, she held the deputy administrator role from 2023 - 2026.

“Dr. Carolan brings both a deep knowledge of the Department of Animal and Rabies Control as well as a commitment to the health and well-being of the County’s animal population,” President Preckwinkle said. “I look forward to seeing her execute her vision to ensure that Cook County remains a leader in urban animal research and continues to innovate to ensure that both pets and residents in our region remain safe.”  

Under Dr. Carolan’s leadership, the department responded to the County’s first case of rabies in a domestic animal in 60 years and created a digital platform for rabies test reporting which allows for critical data sharing with local public health departments. 

She is also responsible for all veterinary medical decisions within the department in addition to overseeing the rabies tag registration system, post-bite quarantine protocols, no-cost rabies vaccine clinics for the pets of County residents and training and education opportunities for animal control officers and first responders. 

In addition to her work at the County, Dr. Carolan is also an Illinois Animal Control Association board member; Chicago Animal Care and Control commissioner; Chicago Metropolitan Area BioWatch Advisory Committee member; and a member of the American, Illinois State and Chicago Veterinary Medical Associations. 

Prior to joining ARC, Dr. Carolan practiced small animal medicine in the Chicago suburbs. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Elmhurst University and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

“I am honored to be entrusted by President Preckwinkle and the County’s Board of Commissioners to serve Cook County as ARC administrator,” Dr. Carolan said. “I am proud to lead a dedicated and passionate team, and I look forward to continuing and enhancing the work our department does to prevent rabies transmission and keep the animals and residents of Cook County safe.”

Dr. Carolan succeeds Dr. Mamadou Diakhate, following his passing in February 2026.