Palatine hires new deputy village manager

Palatine has new a deputy village manager, Hadley Skeffington-Vos, who most recently worked for the suburb of Niles.

"I am very excited to join the village of Palatine and the great leadership team already in place," said Skeffington-Vos, a Mount Prospect resident who started her new job this month. "I look forward to working with the mayor and council, staff, and community and business members to ensure the highest level of services continue."

Skeffington-Vos, a native of Iowa, has a bachelor's degree from Lake Forest College and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Kansas. She first worked as assistant to the city manager in Sterling, Illinois and was hired in 2013 as assistant village manager in Niles.

The Palatine position was advertised in the fall after the previous deputy village manager, Mike Jacobs, took the post of community development director for the village.

Village Manager Reid Ottesen said eight deputy village manager candidates had in-person interviews with him and a panel of department directors and deputy directors.

Skeffington-Vos, whose salary is $160,000, was selected due to her strong background in human resources, information technology and labor relations, as well as her knowledge of municipal finance, Ottesen said. In Niles, she served as acting village manager from January to August 2021.

"I really appreciated her experience as an acting village manager in her previous community, as it gave her an appreciation for the role of the village manager and will help her in her interactions with the elected officials," Ottesen said. "Hadley has also demonstrated a strong commitment to being active in the communities where she worked, and I know she is looking forward to getting involved in Palatine She will be an excellent addition to our leadership team for many years to come."

Jacobs took the role of community development director on an interim basis in April 2021, after the retirement of Harry Spila. He officially took the position in mid-July.

"While I thoroughly enjoyed my role as deputy manager, my true passion has always been planning and development," Jacobs said.

His career includes progressive positions in planning and development in Libertyville, Northbrook and Mount Prospect. He worked as planning and zoning director in Palatine for about a year before transitioning to the role of deputy village manager in 2005.