May 2, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact Andre Garner, Director of the Department of Communications & Public Affairs at 312-603-0393 or afgarner@cookcountygov.com.

County Board Approves Stroger Appointments

Comptroller, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, Purchasing Agent assume formal duties.

Chicago, May 2, 2007 – The Legislative & Intergovernmental Affairs Committee of the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved four appointments for senior administrative positions in the administration of Board President Todd Stroger this afternoon.

Donna Dunnings, the County’s new Chief Financial Officer, is the first African-American female to hold this position. Ms. Dunnings served as Deputy Chief Financial Officer between 1999-2004, as Budget Director from 2004 until this year, and as acting CFO for the last four months, during one of the County’s most challenging budget cycles in the last sixty years. She has also worked in the Cook County Assessor's Office.

Before joining Cook County in February, Joseph M. Fratto, the County’s newly approved Comptroller, served as Executive Director and Trustee for the Park Employees' Annuity and Benefit Fund for thirteen years, where he managed a pension fund valued at over $580 million in assets. From 1990-1994, Mr. Fratto also served as Deputy General Superintendent of Finance and Management Services.

The County’s new Chief Administrative Officer, Mark Kilgallon, most recently served as Chief of the County’s Bureau of Human Resources. Kilgallon has over twenty-five years of service in Cook County government, including a ten-year tenure as executive assistant to the Chief Administrative Officer before his appointment to Human Resources.

Carmen Triche-Colvin, the County’s new Purchasing Agent, joined County government in 1990 as a budget analyst, and later served as Senior Budget Analyst. She became Deputy Purchasing Agent in June 1996, and moved to the Forest Preserve District as Purchasing Agent in 2002. As acting Purchasing Agent, she has overseen the deployment of new technologies for bidders and vendors, as well as proposed revisions to the County’s procurement ordinance.

“Each of these individuals brings a wealth of experience, ability and integrity to their work,” said Stroger. “They are consummate professionals, and will provide their offices with the leadership and commitment to public service that County residents expect and deserve.”

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