Mayor George D. Alpogianis and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Niles appointed new Community Development Director Christine Raguso at their November 14, 2023 regular meeting. Raguso’s appointment will take effect December 4, 2023.
Raguso has a distinguished career in municipal government and the public sector. From 2009 to 2011, Raguso was the Acting Commissioner for the Chicago Department of Community Development, where she integrated and enhanced the operations of the former Housing, Planning and Development Department and the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. Raguso’s work in this role resulted in greater efficiencies, productivity, and prompt and pointed response time to clients. She managed a staff of 187 planning, housing, and workforce professionals and oversaw an annual budget of $355 million. She worked with developers, retailers, aldermen, all levels of government, and agencies and community groups to strengthen the overall community and business environment. Previously, Raguso was Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Economic and Community Development, where she coordinated and supervised large interagency and cross-departmental projects.
Before working for the City of Chicago, from 2004 to 2007, Raguso worked at DLA Piper as Development Coordinator, providing comprehensive oversight and analysis of City regulations, coordination and preparation of various zoning and other land use applications for projects in various municipalities.
For the past decade, Raguso has brought her skill set to the healthcare and non-profit sectors. In that time, she has served as a Vice President for Professional Services for two hospitals (St. Anthony Hospital and Humboldt Park Health), and as C.O.O. for The Resurrection Project—a not-for-profit that strengthens the community by helping residents improve their financial health and achieve home ownership.
Christine Raguso will take over the Niles Community Development Director role from Charles Ostman, who is planning to retire later this month after 24 years of service to the Village of Niles.
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