President Preckwinkle Appoints Xochitl Flores as New Chief of Economic Development
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced that Xochitl Flores will serve as the new Bureau Chief of Economic Development. As Chief, Xochitl will work to advance the Bureau of Economic Development’s mission to foster economic development and job growth, promote regional collaboration, workforce, and community development through the strategic leveraging of resources and efficient professional management.
A seasoned public servant, Flores began her tenure with Cook County as the Assistant Deputy Bureau Chief of Economic Development, in 2011. In her role, she worked tirelessly to advance President Preckwinkle’s plan to ensure exponential impact on economic development through overseeing the design and implementation of organizational efficiencies and strategies while leveraging limited resources and effectively engaging community stakeholders and partners.
Demonstrating proven results, Flores quickly advanced to become Deputy Bureau Chief of Economic Development, where she assisted in the design, preparation and implementation of strategic economic development projects including the President’s Council of Economic Advisors and the convening of Northeastern Illinois county chairs in support of economic development initiatives.
Flores has extensive experience in government, private, and non-profit sectors. Before joining the Cook County administration, Flores served as the Assistant Commissioner for the City of Chicago’s Departments of Housing and Economic Development and the Department of Planning and Development. Additionally, Flores served as Chief of Staff in the 1st Ward Aldermanic Office. Her more than 10 years of private sector experience, serving as a strategy consultant for a variety of clients including Fortune 500 companies and large public institutions will integrate well in her new role. Flores understands the dynamics of working with businesses, community organizations, developers, elected leadership, and constituents and will strive to maintain balance considering the vital role each contribute in creating strong and vibrant communities.
Always demonstrating a solid work ethic and sound leadership skills, Flores is a valued asset of the County’s talented leadership team. Some of her roles included serving as the Deputy Bureau Chief of Asset Management, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer in the Bureau of Administration and Director of the Office of Research, Operations and Innovations. In every position, Flores serves as a champion to reach the goals and demonstrate the principals set forth by President Preckwinkle.
Xochitl received her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University. Flores’s work offers extensive knowledge on developing strategic initiatives, technology planning and operational productivity performance improvements and will bring this experience and more to her role as the new Bureau Chief of Economic Development. Xochitl Flores' new role begins July 22nd.