Oak Park Names New Economic Development Director to Lead Reorganized Department

A veteran public servant with two decades of experience in law, housing and development grants, most recently at the Village of Oak Park, has been tapped to head up the newly re-organized department to deliver development and customer services, the Village of Oak Park announced this week.

Tammie Grossman, 50, has been named Director of the Community and Economic Development Department at the Village of Oak Park. She will begin her new position on Jan. 6. She currently serves as Housing and CDBG Programs Manager and is also overseeing the Human Resources Department as interim director.

In a prepared statement, Village Manager Cara Pavlicek described Grossman as a "reliable leader," with a track record of excelling in "the most challenging positions.

"Her work in the Village’s housing programs department gave me confidence that she’ll be able to hit the ground running in this important new position," Pavlicek said. 

Grossman’s appointment comes as the Village restructures its building, business services, housing and planning departments into a single department to streamline services and improve the development process for customers. The new position will serve as the primary point of contact for all development efforts, and Grossman will be the liaison between Village Hall and the development community, according to a news release from the Village of Oak Park. 

The Village Board will likely establish a new department name in early 2014, though Pavlicek noted the new position’s duties will remain focused on serving the development and business community in Oak Park.

Grossman said in a statement: “It’s more important than ever for Village Hall to speak with one voice on economic development efforts... I intend to start a dialogue about how we can improve this process and build a stronger community in Oak Park.”

Grossman, who has a law degree from DePaul University and a political science degree from Northern Illinois University, was selected from a pool of more than 100 candidates. Her five years at the Village have included a complete transformation of the housing department under her direction, according to the release. The department refocused on its core mission and secured outside funding for new programs. She also spearheaded the creation of the West Cook County Housing Collaborative, which has secured more than $14 million for Oak Park and nearby communities.

In 2012, the Village’s Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program came under her supervision. In July 2013, Grossman also began serving as Interim Human Resources Director following the retirement of its previous director. Before joining the Village, Grossman worked as an attorney in housing and urban development, and served a term as executive director of Housing Action Illinois.

Grossman has lived in Oak Park with her family for more than 15 years. She will stay on as Interim Human Resources Director and Housing and CDBG Programs Manager until Jan. 5. For more information on the Community and Economic Development Department, call 708.358.5770 or email village@oak-park.us.

Information courtesy of a news release from the Village of Oak Park.