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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING MAUREEN McDONNELL
WHEREAS, Maureen McDonnell is stepping down as Executive Director of PEER Services effective January 7, 2022. Maureen McDonnell has been a passionate advocate for the health, needs, and rights of vulnerable populations including people with mental illness and substance use disorder for over 25 years. She received her bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health; and
WHEREAS, Maureen began her service with PEER Services as its Executive Director on June 12, 2017. PEER Services is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to eliminate substance use and the problems it causes for individuals, families, and communities through collaborative, high-quality prevention and treatment services. They have provided community-based substance abuse prevention and treatment services to residents of Evanston, Northfield, New Trier, Maine and Niles Townships, and the north side of Chicago since 1975. PEER uses interdisciplinary teams of professionals to provide a holistic approach to treatment, recognizing that substance use can impact a person's body, mind, and spirit; and
WHEREAS, prior to joining PEER Services, she served as National Director for Health Care Initiatives for TASC, Inc. (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities), which advocates for alternatives to incarceration and community reentry services for people with substance use and mental health disorders. TASC serves more than 18,000 individuals and families in Illinois each year. Prior to serving as National Director for Health Care Initiatives, she was TASC's Director for Business & Health Care Strategy Development. During her tenure with TASC, McDonnell designed and implemented a ground-breaking collaboration among the courts, jail, health system, community providers and funders to fully leverage the Affordable Care Act to increase public health an...
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