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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING CARMEN K. TRICHE-COLVIN ON HER RETIREMENT
WHEREAS, Carmen K. Triche-Colvin has dedicated more than three decades of exemplary service to Cook County and the State of Illinois, demonstrating exceptional leadership, integrity, and innovation in procurement, fiscal management, organizational development, and public administration; and
WHEREAS, since 2018, Carmen has served as Deputy Clerk of the Board and Procurement for the Cook County Clerk’s Office, where she has maintained all legislative records and the Code of Ordinances, and successfully implemented a new Office Purchasing System that streamlined procurement across nine divisions, reducing processing time by 42%, improving headcount efficiency by 20%, and achieving 18% in net savings; and
WHEREAS, Carmen served as a Senior Election Trainer for the Chicago Board of Elections from 2015 to 2022, training thousands of Election Judges and Coordinators on Election Day procedures, equipment operations, voter services, and compliance protocols, ensuring efficient, safe, and accurate election administration for the residents of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, in 2015-2018 Carmen served as Chief Executive Officer of Next Level Strategies, a company which focused on Strategic Improvement for small business,. Carmen delivered transformative organizational results across both for-profit and nonprofit sectors, achieving 22% net income growth, expanding business partnerships by 18%, reducing procurement processing time by 27%, securing significant cost savings and customer satisfaction improvements; and
WHEREAS, during her service as Deputy Director of the Office of Urban Assistance at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (2011-2015), Carmen administered and oversaw programs exceeding $450 million, including the Urban Weatherization Initiative, Illinois Fresh Food Fund, and the Employment Opportunity Grant Fund, while facilitating green jobs training for 18,000 individuals, and achieving a 75% certification rate, expanding county participation by 300%, improving energy efficiency for low-income households, and restoring equity and integrity to statewide grant-making processes; eliminating fiscal malfeasance,; and further advanced statewide diversity compliance initiatives while producing annual reports to the Illinois General Assembly; and
WHEREAS, as Chief Procurement Officer for the Office of the President of Cook County from 2006 to 2011, Carmen administered procurement for 100 agencies with an annual spend of $345 million, achieving 35% commodity savings, 42% gains in supplier diversity, and 30-33% reductions in processing time, and generating $30 million in total savings through audits and strategic sourcing, while creating the Cook County Business Opportunity Expo and leading countywide procurement training programs; and
WHEREAS, as Chief Procurement Officer for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (2002-2006), Carmen delivered major cost savings-including an average 37% savings through strategic vendor agreements-implemented procurement card programs, established an electronic surplus disposal process that generated $395,000.00, reduced procurement errors by 73%, and increased vendor engagement by 38%; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure as Deputy Purchasing Agent (1996-2002), Carmen oversaw procurement for 100 agencies, reducing delivery time by 16%, increasing vendor participation by 34%, and implementing performance metrics that improved procurement efficiency by 22%; and
WHEREAS, beginning her career as a Senior Budget Analyst (1990-1996), Carmen supervised the development of 27 agency budgets totaling more than $115 million, prepared leadership for budget hearings, reconciled financial data, and provided essential fiscal oversight that ensured accountability and transparency in county government; and
WHEREAS, throughout this distinguished career, Carmen has demonstrated unwavering commitment to ethical leadership, equity, operational excellence, and innovation, making meaningful contributions that strengthened public trust, improved government efficiency, and enhanced the lives of residents across Cook County and the State of Illinois.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby honors and recognizes Carmen K.Triche-Colvin for extraordinary service, leadership, and dedication to public administration, procurement reform, community development, and government excellence; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be presented to Carmen K. Triche-Colvin as a symbol of appreciation and gratitude for more than three decades of transformative impact on government operations and the communities served.
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