Preckwinkle names new chief of staff

Tasha R. Green Cruzat has been named Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's new chief of staff, replacing Kimberly Foxx, who has announced she will run for Cook County State's Attorney in 2016. Cruzat, 46, has been deputy chief of staff since November 2013. A Chicago native and resident of Bronzeville, she also chaired Preckwinkle's Green Leadership Team, working to reduce the county's greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050. Before joining Cook County, Cruzat was senior management adviser to the governor's Office of Management and Budget, chief operating officer for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services and executive director of High Jump, a nonprofit devoted to providing enriched academic opportunities for talented, low-income middle school students in Chicago. She also worked for Chicago Public Schools as a program manager in the Department of Human Resources. Cruzat is a veteran of the U.S. Navy.