Alma E. Anaya is the Cook County Commissioner of the 7th District, serving the Southwest Side of Chicago. She became the youngest woman and the first Latina in over 25 years to serve on the Cook County Board of Commissioners when she took office in 2018. Furthermore, she is one of the few formerly undocumented immigrants to hold office in the country.
Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, Commissioner Anaya arrived to the United States as a child. She is the oldest of four and was raised by a single mother on the Southside of Chicago. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
Commissioner Anaya has achieved major legislative accomplishments and has become a fierce advocate for immigrants, domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, people with disabilities, and for working-class families in Cook County. She has worked diligently for affordable housing, gender equality, and health equity throughout her tenure as Commissioner.
Commissioner Anaya serves as Chair of the Cook County Commission on Social Innovation, an entity that focuses on economic and workforce development. She also Co-Chaired the Committee to Address Bias, Equity, and Cultural Competency and the Cook County Complete Count Census Commission, in which she worked tirelessly with community and government partners to ensure a complete count of hard-to-count communities in the 2020 Census. Commissioner Anaya was re-elected in 2022 and is currently serving her second term.
Commissioner Alma E. Anaya is the:
Chair of the Cook County Commission on Social Innovation
Chair of the Cook County Labor Committee
Vice-Chair of Cook County Business and Economic Development
Vice-Chair of Cook County Health and Hospitals
Vice-Chair of Cook County Pension Committee
Besides Commissioner Anaya’s committee assignments, she was also appointed to serve as:
- Co-Chair ADA & Accessibility Task Force
- Co-Chair of the Committee to Address Bias, Equity, and Cultural Competency
- Co-Chair of the Cook County Complete Census Count Commission
- Co-Chair the Equity Naming Task Force for the Forest Preserve of Cook County
- Chief Judge Evans’ Domestic Violence Committee
- Illinois State Association of Counties (ISACo)
- Cook County Economic Development Advisory Council’s Small Business Working Group
- Foreclosure Mediation and Eviction Prevention Working Group
Commissioner Anaya is a Member of the following Board Committees:
- Asset Management
- Contract Compliance
- Criminal Justice
- Emergency Management and Regional Security
- Human Relations
- Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations
- Transportation
- Zoning and Building
- Workforce, Housing & Community Development
Forest Preserve District Board Committee Memberships
- Audit
- Botanic Garden
- Contract Compliance
- Finance
- Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations
- Real Estate (Chairman)
- Recreation
