Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Board of Commissioners
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) is governed by a nine–member Board of Commissioners. Commissioners are elected at large and serve on a salaried, part-time basis. Three Commissioners are elected every two years for six–year terms. Biannually, the Board elects from its membership a President, Vice President, and Chairman of the Committee on Finance.
As a policy-making entity, the Board of Commissioners is responsible for establishing policies and procedures which meet the MWRD’s objective of protecting the water environment for the citizens of Cook County. The Board of Commissioners is responsible for providing financial oversight of the MWRD.
In May 2019, the MWRD Board of Commissioners entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement with Cook County to share the services of an Inspector General to promote integrity in government and provide independent oversight.
As a policy-making entity, the Board of Commissioners is responsible for establishing policies and procedures which meet the MWRD’s objective of protecting the water environment for the citizens of Cook County. The Board of Commissioners is responsible for providing financial oversight of the MWRD.
In May 2019, the MWRD Board of Commissioners entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement with Cook County to share the services of an Inspector General to promote integrity in government and provide independent oversight.
Kari K. Steele
President
Kari K. Steele was elected November 6, 2012 to her first term as a Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and re-elected in 2018 and 2024. In January 2019, she became the first African American woman in the more than 130-year history of the MWRD to be elected by the Board of Commissioners to serve as President. She is currently serving her third term.
Patricia Theresa Flynn
Vice President
The fight for clean water is central to Vice President Patricia Theresa Flynn’s mission. As a public servant, Vice President Flynn has demonstrated a range of skills as an elected trustee for the village of Crestwood. Vice President Flynn has worked to promote fiscal responsibility with an annual balanced budget, developed effective policy and procedures for the village, and chaired both the village’s Finance and Water/Sewer departments.
Marcelino Garcia
Chairman of Finance
Marcelino Garcia is an attorney with expertise in local and international governments, healthcare and community affairs. He is a public servant who has spent years helping people address their legal difficulties through his public interest law work. He also works to bring resources to communities to ensure their economic and health development.
Precious Brady-Davis
Commissioner
Precious Brady-Davis was appointed to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago by Governor JB Pritzker in July, 2023 and was elected as Commissioner in 2024. She is the first Black openly trans woman appointed and elected to public office in Cook County history and the first to serve on a water reclamation district in the US.
Yumeka Brown
Commissioner
Commissioner Yumeka Brown was elected to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Board of Commissioners on November 8, 2022. Commissioner Brown is a proud native of the Roseland community and the Southland of Chicago. A simple notion of getting more involved in the community and a push from her brother led her to run for office in December 2016.
Cameron Davis
Commissioner
Cameron Davis was elected to the MWRD Board of Commissioners in November 2018. He is a vice president at GEI Consultants, Inc. Before joining GEI, he was appointed by the Obama Administration to coordinate the work of 11 federal departments and serve as liaison to Congress on Great Lakes matters.
Beth McElroy Kirkwood
Commissioner
Beth McElroy Kirkwood was appointed by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to fill a vacant seat on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Board of Commissioners in December 2024. Her extensive background in municipal operations and community service allows her to contribute meaningfully to the MWRD’s mission of treating wastewater, managing stormwater and protecting Chicago-area waterways.
Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda
Commissioner
Commissioner Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda is the first Latina elected to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) Board of Commissioners. She is also the youngest and first Commissioner in recent history to come from the Northwest suburbs of Cook County. Commissioner Corral Sepúlveda was inaugurated in 2020 and is serving her first term.
Sharon Waller
Commissioner
Sharon Waller is a licensed Professional Environmental Engineer and a LEED BD+C accredited professional. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a teaching certificate in post-secondary education from Northwestern University.