A Lansing resident recently took the helm of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, beating out 150 other candidates, according to the organization’s statement.
Kristi DeLaurentiis is the third executive director in the SSMMA’s 38 years of existence, replacing Ed Paesel, who retired at the end of December. The SSMMA is a council of governments, including 45 municipalities, representing a population of over 650,000 in Cook and Will counties.
DeLaurentiis, 58, grew up in the south suburbs, including Country Club Hills as a child, graduating from Homewood Flossmoor High School, and lived a number of years in Frankfort, she said.
“I’m a south-suburban native,” she said.
Her roots here are a part of what the organization describes as a “strong commitment to the region with extensive government relations, community development and planning experience,” the statement said.
“I’ve been working with firms and other organizations with a long-term focus,” she said.
DeLaurentiis had been the president of KDL Consulting, Inc., a governmental consulting firm. Previously, she was the director of government affairs and community development for Metro Strategies, Inc., the Metropolitan Planning Councils’ government relations director, as well as the director of planning and development for the Village of Lansing.
She has served on the Governors State University Board of Trustees, the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission, the Illinois’ Digital Divide Elimination Advisory Committee, and the American Cancer Society Illinois Division and Cancer Action Network boards. She remains a member of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s Land Use Committee, and chairs the American Cancer Society’s Lakeshore Division, the statement said.
She describes her experiences as a more than 20-year history of public service in appointed positions with the “common thread” of “how do we strengthen our communities.”
“I’ve had a lot of exposure to a lot of different issues that will serve me well in this role,” she said.
Part of her focus as executive director is to continue the “long history of collaboration” among the municipalities and governments that organization serves. Collectively, the SSMMA offers a single voice to state, county, and federal government agencies, she said.
The key issues are transportation, infrastructure, land use and economic development, as well as stormwater and open space planning. The organization’s housing committee is focused on providing housing stability, she said.
Her style is to “think holistically,” about quality of life while achieving a robust Southland, attracting global investment, including tourism, she said.
The SSMMA also provides a forum to mentor new mayors, since many of their issues are common across neighboring boundaries. The association also provides direct training to mayors following the election cycles, including for example, the Open Meetings Act protocol.
DeLaurentiis hods a bachelor’s degree in language arts, as well as a masters of science in environmental biology with a focus in policy, both from Governors State University.
Paesel served as executive director from 2000. He replaced Beth Ruyle-Hullinger, who served from 1978 to 1999.
“DeLaurentiis was selected after a lengthy process that involved review of the credentials of approximately 150 candidates,” said SSMMA president and Park Forest Mayor John Ostenburg. “We have every confidence that, as executive director, she will follow in the excellent traditions established by Ed Paesel and Beth Ruyle before him.”
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Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown..