Taxing Body Efficiency Task Force Members

Chair David Pope

David Pope is President of the Oak Park Residence Corporation, a not-for-profit organization focused on the creation and management of high quality multifamily housing communities that ensure affordability and foster diversity within Oak Park.  In addition, he serves as the Executive Director of the Oak Park Housing Authority, overseeing both Public Housing and the Housing Choice Voucher program throughout the community. 

Previously, Mr. Pope served from 2005 through 2013 as President (mayor) of the Village of Oak Park, IL, where he maintained budget and fiduciary responsibility for the $110 million municipal corporation.  During his eight years in office, he helped to transform Oak Park into a national leader in: renewable power adoption; smart-grid infrastructure deployment; regional responses to housing market inefficiencies and the foreclosure crisis; and local investment in early childhood development.  He served as a member of the leadership of the United States Conference of Mayors, and continues to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Mayors Innovation Project (a group composed of many of the most forward-thinking mayors in America). 

Prior to his election in 2005, Mr. Pope worked for more than a decade as a corporate strategy consultant, including as a Principal in the Strategy Consulting Practice of Price Waterhouse and PwC where he led strategy definition engagements and operational restructurings for clients across sectors and industries.  Throughout 2014-2015, Mr. Pope also led the successful launch and operationalizing of City Digital (now City Tech) - UI LABS’ multi-sector initiative to establish the global hub for urban infrastructure innovation. 

Mr. Pope is an Austin fellow at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and is regularly invited to speak on topics relating to the intersection of the public and private sectors by a variety of organizations including: the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; The Brookings Institution; the American Planning Association; the Council on Foundations; and numerous universities and mayoral/municipal governance organizations.  Mr. Pope also served 2 ½ years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Thailand.  He lives in Oak Park with his wife, Beth Houle, and their two daughters Elise and Vivienne.

Brian Chang

An Oak Park resident since 2005, Brian works as a Pathologist at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital.  He received a degree in Chemistry from Brown University and his MD/PhD from the University of Chicago-Pritzker School of Medicine.  Locally, Brian has served as a Commissioner on the Environment and Energy Commission and maintains a high level of interest in Oak Park governance.  Brian is married with two children in District 97.

Joi Cregler

Joi Cregler is a Chicago tax credit transactions attorney at Holland & Knight.  Her area of expertise is commercial real estate finance. She represents global and regional financial institutions, investors and developers in a wide range of real-estate secured transactions, with a focus on tax-credit financed transactions.

Ms. Cregler has advised clients on a wide range of New Market Tax Credit and Low-Income Housing tax-credit financings and brings over 10 years of experience structuring, negotiating and drafting complex debt and equity financing agreements and real estate agreements.

In addition, Joi represents financial institutions in connection with real estate investment fund formation, private offering memoranda, and related subscription documents with upper-tier investors.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, she served as in-house counsel for a major university, and served on the board of directors of a Chicago-area community development corporation. In addition, Ms. Cregler served as a member of the Fair Housing Taskforce of the Village of Oak Park.

In 2016, Joi was selected as a member of The National Black Lawyers-Top 100 Lawyers, a group comprised of the "most qualified attorneys from each state who exemplify superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence, stature and profile."

Judy Greffin

As Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at Allstate, Judy led a global investment group managing over $85B for Allstate and its related entities. She served as member of the CEO's 5-member Operating Committee.

A 25-year Allstate veteran, Judy held key investment positions before her 2008 CIO appointment, including strategy and business development, portfolio management, fixed income management, and operations and technology. Earlier in her career, she worked on the trading desk of a regional bank, was the lead portfolio manager on several mutual funds and served as a director of credit research. 

Judy recently joined the Board of Associated Banc-Corp, the largest bank holding company headquartered in Wisconsin. Judy holds a Master's in Business Administration from the Fisher School at the Ohio State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Miami University. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). She has served as a director of the CFA Society of Chicago, and as an advisor to Institutional Investor's Fixed Income Forum. Judy is currently a Board member of the Field Museum of Natural History where she serves as the Chair of the Finance Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee. She is also a member of the Board of the Northwestern Memorial Foundation where she serves on the Investment Committee. In addition, she serves on the Advisory Board of the Farmer School of Business at Miami University. She's also currently on the Board of the Community Foundation of Oak Park and River Forest.

John Hedges

John Hedges has a wealth of experience in local governance and civic volunteerism, most recently as executive director of the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation, the Village-funded not-for-profit organization working to bring business investment to the community. John retired in 2000 after 20 years as executive director of the Park District of Oak Park. The Park District’s administrative building on Madison Street bears his name. During his tenure with the Park District, he also served a time as interim Village Manager. Following his retirement, John served two terms as Village Trustee and he currently chairs the Village of Oak Park Fire and Police Commission whose members supervise appointment and promotion eligibility lists and holds disciplinary hearings regarding the two departments. His many other community roles and accomplishments include the following:

• Board member of the Oak Park and River Forest Community Foundation
• Member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust
• Board member of the Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park United Way
• President and campaign chair of the Community Chest
• Vice president of the Madison Street Business Association
• Serves on the Oak Park Council of Governments
• President of the Pleasant Home Foundation board
• Recipient of the John L. Hedges Preservation Award
• President and chair of the scholarship fund of the Oak Park River Forest Rotary Club
• Chair of the Oak Park and River Forest High School Citizens Advisory Committee on Athletics and Activities
• Co-chair of the education sub­committee of Village and School District 97 Task Force on Diversity
• President of the Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Charter member of the Oak Park River Forest Gang and Drug Task Force
• Member of the Oak Park and River Forest High School Strategic Planning Committee
• Recipient of the Oak Park Education Foundation William Stazack Award for service to youth

John has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in Recreation and Park Management Indiana University. He also served as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Gary McCullough

Gary E. McCullough’s more than 30-year business career has included roles as a Corporate Board Member, Chief Executive Officer, President and Senior Executive in market-leading consumer and commercial companies. He is currently a Board member of TransDigm Group, Inc. (NYSE: TDG), a $3.7 billion company that develops, distributes and manufactures commercial and military aerospace components. He is also an investor in and advisor to several private entities.

Mr. McCullough was Chief Executive Officer and a Board member of ARI Packaging, Inc. a private firm that provides co-manufacturing, packaging and logistics services for consumer package goods companies. ARI was sold to Menasha Packaging in September, 2017. He was President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ: CECO), a $2.0 billion, publicly traded company for 4.5 years.

Before joining CECO, Mr. McCullough served as President of Abbott Laboratories’ $3.5 billion Ross Products Division, a leading manufacturer of infant and adult nutritional products. Prior to Abbott, McCullough served as Senior Vice President-Americas for the Chicago-based Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and he spent 13 years at The Procter & Gamble Company in Brand and General Management roles. Mr. McCullough also served five years in the United States Army as an Infantry Officer, where he rose to the rank of Captain.

Mr. McCullough served on the Board of Directors of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE: SHW), a $9 billion, global paint manufacturing and retail operating company for approximately ten years. He was elected to the Audit Committee in 2002 and was named Audit Committee Chairman in 2011.

In addition to his corporate experiences, Mr. McCullough has a long history of civic and philanthropic board involvement.  He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center. He is the Chairman of the Board of the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL), an organization committed to turning around Chicago Public Schools worst performing schools.  AUSL currently manages 31 Chicago public schools serving over 17,000 students.

He is a past member of The Economic Club of Chicago, The Commercial Club of Chicago and The Chicago Club. Previously, he served on the Boards of the Executives Club of Chicago, the Association of National Advertisers and Keep America Beautiful. In 2005 and again in 2009, he was named by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the “100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America.”

Mr. McCullough holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Wright State University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He and his wife, Kim, reside in Oak Park, Illinois and are the parents of three adult children and one granddaughter.

James Peters

Jim Peters is a 42-year resident of Oak Park, living on Wisconsin Avenue with his wife, Mary.  Jim has two grown children now residing in the western suburbs who are graduates of Lincoln and Emerson (now Brooks) schools and Oak Park and River Forest High School. He has seven grandchildren.

Jim’s 47-year professional career spanned publishing, corporate communications and communications consulting before he mostly retired in 2016. Highlights of his career include:

• J. Peters Associates Inc. President. A packaging and communications consultant whose clients have included professional associations, packaging suppliers, PR firms, and business publishing companies.  (1995-2016)
• Principal author of the book Adding Value Through Packaging. (2013)
• Blue Cross/Blue Shield Assoc. Director of Publications and Communication Services, Managed health education and corporate communications projects. (1985-1994)
• Business publishing companies. Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor positions on several business magazines in packaging and food industries. (pre-1985)