Kari K. Steele
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Kari K. Steele | |
|---|---|
| President of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Board of Commissioners | |
| Assumed office December 6, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Todd Stroger |
| Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) | |
| Assumed office April 18, 2018 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kari K. Steele June 17, 1975 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Maze Jackson (Undated.) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Xavier Univeristy of Louisiana (BS,) |
Kari K. Steele is an American politician, chemist and environmentalist who serves as President of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago elected November 6, 2012 to her first term as a Commissioner at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and re-elected in 2018 for a second term. In January 2019 she was elected President of the Board of Commissioners. President Steele currently serves as the Chairman for the Engineering Committee and the State Legislation and Rules Committee. She also is the Vice Chairman of the Procurement Committee. President Steele is a chemist, licensed real estate broker, an environmentalist and a community leader.
She has more than 11 years of experience working as a chemist. She has worked at both the Jardine Water Purification Plant as a water chemist and the MWRD as a water sampler and lab technician. This background makes President Steele uniquely qualified to discuss and analyze proposed operational changes and operational efficiencies.
Early Life[edit]
Education
Family Life
Career[edit]
Professional Milestones
- Unanimously voted the first African American female President in the 130-year history of MWRD
- Instituted the first Office of Inspector General to oversee the MWRD’s 1.2-billion-dollar budget, district operations and increase transparency for taxpayers
- Initiated audits of all MWRD property lease agreements to ensure full compliance
- Signed off on the first of its kind, $33-million-dollar advance payment with the Army Corp of Engineers for the second phase completion of the McCook Reservoir
- Required staff re-training on Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- Removed bid deposit requirements on all non-construction contracts to level the playing field for vendors
- Improved Watershed Management Ordinance (WMO) to further assist in combating flooding
- Accelerated the MWRD career opportunity outreach that aided in increasing diversity among applicants
- Developed MWRD’s first apprenticeship agreement with IUOE Local 399 to assist in increasing diversity in the trades.
- Increased diversity by improving minority employment numbers, both entry level and promotional, in her Presidency.
- Hosted the first inaugural Latinx celebration and supported the yearly Latinx Heritage Month Celebration
- Spearheaded MWRD becoming the first government in the state to recognize the contributions of African Americans to society by raising the Pan-African Flag and offering Juneteenth as an optional holiday at no cost to the taxpayers.
- Advocated for the raising of the LGBTQIA+ Pride flag, a widely recognized emblem of equality and inclusion.
- Invited and welcomed numerous first-time organizations and tour group from various inner-city urban communities
- Maintained a AAA bond rating from Fitch Ratings and an AA+ bond rating from Standard & Poor’s, while also managing a stable corporate fund along with a sustainable capital improvement program
- Enacted fair treatment policies for employees and their domestic partners and their retirement benefits and enacted a policy to promote LGBT small business enterprises.
- Approved over 170 local and regional stormwater management projects, green infrastructure partnerships and flood prone property acquisitions, protecting more than 13,000 structures from flooding.
- Oversaw the first open and transparent 5-year Strategic Plan focusing on environmental justice, diversity, and enterprise resilience.
- Implemented a district-wide work from home pandemic policy, becoming the first government in the state to do so
Civic Engagement[edit]
Chairman, 6th Ward Young Democrats Chairman, Cook County Young Democrats President Steele is a member of the Illinois Women’s Institute of Leadership; the 8th Ward Women’s Auxiliary Council; the Sierra Club; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; the 27th Ward Regular Democratic Organization; Southside Democracy for America (2016); West Side Black Elected Officials (2017).
She is a past member of the Young Democrats of America; past Chairman of the 6th Ward Young Democrats; past Chairman and Treasurer of the Young Democrats of Cook County; and past member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.
Awards and Recognitions[edit]
President Steele was a 2014 Chicago Defender Woman of Excellence Honoree; 2014 Jim Edgar Fellow; 2016 Graduate of the Metropolitan Leadership Institute and a recipient of the
- Freshwater Lab Water Award (2017) presented by University of Illinois at Chicago
- History Making Greatness Certificate (February 2019) – presented by Illinois Congressman Danny K. Davis - 7th District
- Trailblazer Award honoring the blueprint your leadership created (February 2019) presented during MWRD African American History Celebration
- Black History Champions Award (Feb 2019) – presented by Bishop Larry Trotter and Sweet Holy Spirit Church
- 20th Annual Women Making History Award (March 2019) – presented by National Council of Negro Women
- Ida B. Platt Award (June 2019) – presented by Cook County Bar Association
- Crescent Moon Award for Political Leadership (November 2019) – presented by The Men of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
- AACA’s Outstanding Public Official of the Year Award (2019) – presented by African American Contractors Association
- National Civil Right Hall of Fame Inductee (August 2020) – presented by the National Civil Rights Library
Electoral History[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Debra Shore | 1,071,670 | 26.34 | |
| Democratic | Kari K. Steele | 919,841 | 22.61 | |
| Democratic | Patrick Daley Thompson | 839,178 | 21.96 | |
| Republican | Harold "Noonie" Ward | 334,207 | 8.22 | |
| Republican | Carl Segvich | 341,603 | 8.40 | |
| Green | Dave Ehrlich | 200,953 | 4.94 | |
| Green | Karen Roothaan | 189,505 | 4.66 | |
| Green | Nasrin R. Khalili | 117,089 | 2.88 | |
| Total votes | 4,068,046 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Debra Shore | 1,025,409 | 26.52 | |
| Democratic | Kari K. Steele | 912,598 | 23.60 | |
| Democratic | Marcelino Garcia | 841,193 | 21.75 | |
| Republican | R Cary Capparelli | 332,435 | 8.60 | |
| Republican | Shundar Lin | 263,494 | 6.81 | |
| Green | Christopher Anthony | 171,927 | 4.45 | |
| Green | Karen Roothaan | 172,278 | 4.46 | |
| Green | Tammie Felecia Vinson | 147,638 | 3.82 | |
| Total votes | 3,866,972 | 100 | ||
Section title[edit]
Personal Life[edit]
Steele lives in Chicago, Illinois. She and her husband, Maze, have two children.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Cook County and The City of Chicago General Election November 6, 2012 Combined Summary" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
- ↑ "Cook County and The City of Chicago General Election November 6, 2018 Combined Summary" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
External links[edit]
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