Cook County Announces New Chief for Asset Management

Ann Kalayil has been appointed by President Preckwinkle and the Cook County Board of Commissioners to serve as Chief of the Cook County's Bureau of Asset Management.  Kalayil comes to the County with broad experience in facilities and real estate management, including budgeting, staff supervision and strategic planning.

“I am pleased to have Ann Kalayil as part of our senior management team,” President Preckwinkle said. “She brings a broad range of experience and will provide strong leadership to the Bureau of Asset Management.”

Prior to joining Cook County, Kalayil served as Regional Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Great Lakes Region.  As the agency’s regional chief executive, she headed operations that supported federal agencies and the U.S. Courts in six states. Headquartered in Chicago, the GSA Region has a workforce of more than 820 employees, an annual operating budget of approximately $250 million, a building inventory of 35.3 million square feet, and an estimated $4.07 billion in business volume.  Her appointment in 2011 was historic as she was the first woman and first Asian American to serve in this role for the region.   

Before serving at GSA, Kalayil worked for more than 18 years at the University of Chicago in Information Technology Services.  She received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Northeastern Illinois University, and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is on the Advisory Board of the New Leadership Council and is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow.

Cook County's Bureau of Asset Management provides clean, safe, secure, sustainable and accessible County facilities through capital construction projects, efficient use of real estate and routine maintenance programs. Construction of the Cook County Central Campus Redevelopment is one of the high-profile projects managed by the Bureau.

For more information, please go to the Cook County Bureau of Asset Management website.