Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 4 Abril-Mayo 2019 NegociosNow NegociosNow D owners Grove, Il- The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors, voted unani- mously to hire veteran public servant, José Alvarez, as the agency's new executive director. Alvarez brings with him a wealth of administrative and government experience, includ- ing leadership positions at the highest levels of the public sector. In his role as executive director, Alvarez will lead the Illinois Tollway, which has a $1.5 billion annual budget and over- sees Illinois' 294-mile Tollway system. "On behalf of my fellow board members, I'm excited to wel- come José Alvarez as executive director," said Tollway Board of Directors Chairman Will Evans. "His extensive background in government administration for large, complex organizations such as the Chicago Housing Authority and Chicago Pub- lic Schools will provide a solid foundation to build upon as he leads the Illinois Tollway." Alvarez comes to the Tollway after having served in a multi- tude of public sector leadership roles, including chief of staff for the State Superintendent of Education for Washington D.C. Schools, deputy chief of staff for the CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and most recent- ly, chief operating officer and chief of staff for the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). During his tenure at CHA, Alvarez presented balanced budgets for four consecutive years, secured over $1 billion in funding for mixed-income developments and developed a five-year capital plan for building and maintenance of facilities. He also championed small and minority business partici- pation in contracts through the Sec3 Job Order Contract Pro- gram aimed at driving small business participation and eliminated waivers for minority Jose Alvarez, new CEO of Illinois Tollway. José Alvarez named Executive Director of the Illinois Tollway and women business enterprise contract requirements. "I am honored and humbled by this vote of confidence by Chairman Evans and the Toll- way's Board of Directors. I'm looking forward to the chal- lenge of leading a world-class toll highway system at a time when our infrastructure is at the forefront of our state's agenda," said Alvarez. "We must continue to find new ways to help drive econom- ic opportunity for all Illinoisans, and the Illinois Tollway plays a pivotal role in that effort." During his 13-year career at CPS, Alvarez held multiple roles geared toward commu- nity and stakeholder relations and was integral in the devel- opment of a rigorous strate- gic plan to support underper- forming schools. He also supported the Renais- sance 2010 initiative aimed at developing accountability plans for CPS schools. The former COO of Chicago Housing Authority is the first Latino named as CEO of the Tollway and represents a move of Pritzker's adminitration "to restore the public's trust in the integraty of the Government" Alvarez is also a civic leader, serving as chairman of the local school council at the Andrew Jackson Language Academy, as vice chairman of La Casa Norte and as a member of the board of directors at Trinity High School in River Forest. "H is extensive background in government administration for large, complex organizations such as the Chicago Housing Authority and Chicago Public Schools will provide a solid foundation to build upon as he leads the Illinois Tollway."

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