About Marti

Personal Background

• Grew up in Dublin, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus).
• Undergraduate degree from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.
• Master’s degree from University of Chicago (School of Social Service Administration).
• Moved to Elmhurst nine years ago after I married my husband Dave (a resident of Elmhurst for more than 20 years).
• Five children in our family, including three stepkids – Sydney (junior at University of Illinois); Alec (freshman at University of Illinois); and Sam (junior or York High School), Nora (2nd grade at Hawthorne Elementary); Henry (preschool).
• Passionate about local government and civic engagement.
• Especially interested in engaging kids, so they understand their role as citizens and part of a community and begin to appreciate their future role as voters.

Professional Experience

• Current First Ward Alderman, elected in 2013; served two years on the finance committee, currently vice chair of the Public Works and Buildings.
• Eight years of municipal government experience as an Assistant Commissioner of a City of Chicago department that utilized more than $500 million annually to assist residents and strengthen neighborhoods.
• Worked primarily on legislative and policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels.
• Analyzed and evaluated issues and potential outcomes.
• Worked successfully on policy and program development with a variety of stakeholders – residents, community groups, counterparts from other cities, issue experts, developers, financial institutions, advocates, and elected officials.
• At DePaul University, managed a multi-million dollar research and data project funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.