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INTRODUCTIONS THE BOARD

ARE IN ORDER Keri L. Holleb Hotaling
began in December
2020 as the north
suburban Cook County
MEET THE NEW FACES representative. A partner
at Jenner & Block, she is

OF THE METRA BOARD a litigator with significant
civil trial and appellate
experience in state and
OF DIRECTORS federal courts.

Ricardo Estrada

With five new members on the Metra Board of Directors, we started in May as
thought this would be a good time for a primer on who makes the Board’s Chicago
up the Board and what they do. representative. He is CEO

The basics are this: the Board has 11 members who represent of Metropolitan Family
various constituencies in the region. Six are appointed by Services, one of Illinois’
the heads of the county boards of Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane, largest and best-respected
McHenry and Lake Counties. Four more are appointed by human service agencies.
north, northwest, south and southwest suburban Cook County
commissioners. And one is appointed by the mayor of Chicago.
The chair of the board is elected by the board members, with a
chair from Cook County alternating with a chair from outside Joseph H. McMahon
Cook County every four years. became the Kane County
representative in May.
The Board of Directors is responsible for setting Metra priorities
and policies, approving its operating and capital budgets, He is an accomplished
approving major contracts, hiring the CEO/Executive Director attorney in both the public
and other functions. and private sector, having
recently served as the
Romayne C. Brown, the appointee of the Cook County Board state’s attorney for Kane
President, is the current chair. Norman Carlson, the Lake County.
County appointee, is vice chair, after a four-year term as chair
before Brown.
The other veteran Board members are Don Orseno, Metra’s Paul E. Ruffin

former CEO who represents Will County; Ken Koehler, from started in July as the south
McHenry County; and Rodney S. Craig and Stephen Palmer suburban Cook County
from northwest and southwest suburban Cook County. representative. A business
development, sales process
and process improvement
More detailed bios of all Board members veteran, he currently works
can be found on metra.com.
for Cigna as Vice President,
Government and Education.

COMING SOON! Wes Becton
became the DuPage
County representative in
July. He is the CEO and
cofounder of George
Washington Street
Partners, an executive
leadership and career
coaching consultancy.

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7/26/21 8:48 PM
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MyMetraNewsletter-Summer2021_RW.indd 9 7/26/21 8:48 PM