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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE CAREER AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF EILEEN FIGEL
WHEREAS, Ms. Eileen Figel has served as the Forest Preserves of Cook County's Interim General Superintendent since January 2024 and previously served as the Forest Preserves' Deputy General Superintendent since July 2014 and has led the nation's oldest and largest forest preserve district in building a culture of inclusivity and equality; and
WHEREAS, Eileen is a member of the American Planning Association and holds a master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor of Arts in Management Science from the University of California San Diego. Prior to joining the Forest Preserves, Eileen served as the founding director for the Institute for Comprehensive Community Development, led an independent consulting practice, and served as former Mayor Daley's First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, and as a municipal planner for the cities of Baltimore, Maryland, Long Beach, California and Highland Park, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Eileen has been deeply committed to ensuring that the Forest Preserves' infrastructure and culture is based on equity and inclusion, and under her leadership, ensured that programming, development, and initiatives contributed to creating a welcoming environment for all Cook County residents and visitors; and
WHEREAS, Eileen spearheaded the implementation of the 2014 Next Century Conservation Plan, an ambitious and visionary strategy that laid out a set of bold actions that positioned the Forest Preserves as a national leader in urban conservation and ensured the people of Cook County treasure and sustain this amazing resource then, now and in the future and guided the launch and formation of the Conservation and Policy Council, an advisory body of distinguished civic-minded experts who generously volunteer time to the mission, established by ordinance a...
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