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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING JERRY A. PRAY UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT
WHEREAS, Cook County Director of Research, Operations and Innovation Jerry Pray will retire from Cook County Government on December 31, 2021, after an accomplished and impactful 30-year career serving the residents of Cook County, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Jerry has established a reputation for improving the operations of Cook County Government through business process re-engineering and innovation; and
WHEREAS, as a lifelong resident of Cook County, Jerry was raised in the Jefferson Park community and graduated from Notre Dame High School for Boys; and
WHEREAS, while attending college, Jerry began his journey in the world of Industrial Engineering as an intern at Fel Pro in Skokie, Illinois in the summer of 1990 and at Cook County in the summer of 1991; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree focused in Industrial Engineering, Jerry returned to Cook County to begin his full-time career at Cook County in 1992, joining the Industrial Engineer team in the Office of the Chief Administrator. Jerry’s role was to identify ways to reduce wastefulness and improve how Cook County delivered services to its residents in the most efficient manner.
WHEREAS, in 1994, as a member of the Industrial Engineer team, Jerry performed the first ever space inventory analysis for all County facilities and created a database of space, employee data and occupancy drawings; and between 1995-1997, performed the financial analysis to justify the purchase of 69 W. Washington. Once 69 W. Washington was purchased, the Industrial Engineers were responsible for the initial space programming and layout modifications for the 700,000-square-foot facility; and
WHEREAS, in 1999, Jerry created the County’s Photocopier Leasing Program and was responsible for administering the program for over 14 years. This program saved the County over $1M annually; and
WHEREAS, from 1999 to 2020, Jerry managed the County’s electricity and natural gas procurement, billing, and usage tracking for over 20 years; and
WHEREAS, prior to 2003 there was no centralized repository for the County’s legislation. Jerry was instrumental in the County’s codification, creating free and open access to Cook County ordinance through Municode; and
WHEREAS, with demonstrated professionalism, analytical skills and a collaborative nature, Jerry was promoted to Senior Industrial Engineer in August of 2007; and
WHEREAS, in 2013, Jerry developed and created the County’s Shared Fleet Program which won an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo); and
WHEREAS, in 2018 Jerry helped launch the new Office of Research, Operations and Innovations (ROI) and was promoted to Deputy Director of ROI. Modeled after the Denver Peak Academy, ROI was created to improve operational efficiencies and services while reducing costs and enhancing customer experiences for all departments and agencies under Cook County Government; and
WHEREAS, eight months after ROI’s inception, Jerry became the Director of ROI where he managed training and consulting services for business process design and performance management throughout Cook County Government; and
WHEREAS, in 2019, NACo recognized the newly formed ROI with an achievement award for its Employee-Driven Continuous Process Improvement program, which assists departments in identifying opportunities for process improvement and facilitates the implementation of innovative solutions that increase efficiency, add value to the customer and reduce costs; all developed and implemented by front-line employees; and
WHEREAS, throughout Jerry’s 30 years, with Cook County he performed hundreds of operations, management, staffing, and space projects for virtually every single office and elected official. Some of the major studies that he should be most proud of include the Treasurer’s Office, Forest Preserve and Department of Corrections cost studies; the development and creation of the Department of Administrative Hearings; and improvement and standardization of hundreds of processes throughout County offices; and
WHEREAS, Jerry leaves big shoes to fill as it is not unusual to hear someone say in a meeting, “maybe Jerry can help with this”; and
WHEREAS, Jerry Pray is the epitome of a true public servant; and
WHEREAS, having honorably served the residents of Cook County for 30 years, Jerry Pray has earned this time to further his professional bowling career, adding to his 7 perfect bowling games and 3 career 800 series; and
WHEREAS, the President, Cook County Board of Commissioners, Cook County staff and all who know Jerry wish him the best as he now has more time to spend with his wife Jennifer and their two daughters, Taylor and Jordan.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and Members of the Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the 5.2 million Cook County residents and more than 22,000 employees of Cook County, congratulate Jerry Pray upon the occasion of his retirement.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy of the same be tendered to Jerry Pray.
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