Beth McElroy Kirkwood
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.
Commissioner McElroy Kirkwood brings years of public service experience to the Board, having served as Orland Township committeeperson since 2021 and working across multiple village departments for Orland Park. In her hometown, she has served on the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board, the Open Lands Fund Commission and the Appeals Board. She has been an educator in Orland School District 135 since 2009.
In 2019, Commissioner McElroy Kirkwood was elected to the Moraine Valley Community College Board of Trustees where she is serving a six-year term. There she serves as Board Chair, and previously as Vice Chair from 2021-2023. She oversees a $161 million budget and works closely with the President of the college on all matters concerning the board of trustees.
Commissioner McElroy Kirkwood holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Benedictine University and is certified as an English as a Second Language teacher where she assists students to become proficient in English so they can reach the same academic standards as their English-speaking peers.