DuPage County forest district introduces new leader

A nearly yearlong search for a new executive director ended Tuesday when DuPage County Forest Preserve District commissioners hired Michael Hullihan.

Commissioners voted 6-0 to approve a $165,000, one-year contract for Hullihan, who is Oak Brook's public works director. His first day with the district will be Aug. 24.

Hullihan reacted to his hiring by calling the district's top administrative post "the best job in the world."

"You can't ask for a better vocation of preserving natural areas and encouraging people to get their minimum daily requirement of nature," Hullihan said.

The district has been operating without an executive director since commissioners forced Arnie Biondo out of the post last August after less than eight months on the job.

Hullihan said he applied for the position because he likes working with people and the district's mission is admirable.

"By all measures, the forest preserve organization does a great job," he said. "If you are going to be in charge of an organization, you want a good one."

Hullihan, who has spent the past seven years working for Oak Brook, has an extensive background in resource management and engineering. In addition to being a retired lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hullihan previously served as the vice president of Gannett Fleming, a global company focused on infrastructure solutions.

Commissioner Al Murphy said Hullihan's experience with stormwater projects helped set him apart from the two other finalists interviewed by the commission.

"One of the things people don't realize is the forest preserves have a great capacity for stormwater and they (district officials) coordinate very, very well with the county stormwater (management office)," Murphy said. "To have someone with that experience in engineering, it will work out well."

Forest preserve President Joe Cantore said Hullihan was the perfect candidate who "brought everything we wanted together in one person."

"He's got fantastic leadership skills," Cantore said. "He knows what he's talking about. And when he doesn't know something, I think he's going to ask about it and learn about it. His learning curve is going to be pretty short. I think he's going to pick up everything around here pretty quickly."

Commissioner Mary Lou Wehrli said she's pleased to have a new leader for the district, which hasn't had a long-term executive director since Brent Manning retired in June 2012 after 8½ years at the helm.

After looking for more than a year for Manning's replacement, commissioners selected Arnie Biondo, who was serving at the time as executive director of the Carol Stream Park District.

Biondo lasted less than eight months on the job before commissioners, who were unhappy with his performance, gave him the option of taking early retirement or being fired. Biondo chose retirement last August and is now working for a park district in Ohio.

At the time, officials said it was important to fill the post quickly and the commission voted three separate times, starting in mid-August, to hire John Lapinski, a DuPage Circuit Court administrator, to be executive director. But during that process Lapinski became ill and eventually turned down the job to concentrate on his health.

Wehrli says the hiring of Hullihan makes the district "better prepared to serve the citizens."

"I think we're going to enter a time of stability and greater transparency," she said.

Hullihan said it will take him a few weeks to get settled. However, he's personally visited about 50 of the district's 60 preserves.

He said his immediate goals include helping with the transition as the district prepares to lose dozens of employees through an early retirement incentive program.

"We are losing a few key people to the early retirement incentive," Hullihan said. "That gives us an opportunity to train some junior folks and have them take more responsibility."