On December 8, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) installed three commissioners to six-year terms to govern the agency charged with protecting the region’s water environment and public health.

Returning Commissioners Cameron Davis and Kimberly Du Buclet were joined by newcomer Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda to serve on the nine–member Board responsible for providing financial oversight and establishing policies and procedures which meet the MWRD’s objective of protecting the water environment for the citizens of Cook County.

Commissioner Davis returns to the Board, having been first elected in November 2018. He was introduced by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (9th District) at the installation ceremony and his swearing-in was presided over by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Sharon O. Johnson.

“Protecting our waterways, our landscape, and our climate can’t wait. Our communities are entitled to safety, integrity, and transparency,” said Commissioner Davis. “Today’s swearing-in marks a personal responsibility to go along with the privilege of serving.”

Commissioner Davis 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 a liaison to Congress on Great Lakes matters. As senior advisor to two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrators in Washington, D.C., he coordinated Great Lakes policy and investments toward contaminated sediment cleanups, invasive species prevention, habitat restoration, runoff reduction and related water resource matters. For more than three decades, Commissioner Davis has worked to develop and implement water quality and quantity policy. He helped draft legislation that authorized the bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and Great Lakes Legacy Act and helped pass the Great Lakes -- St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact.

Prior to federal service, Commissioner Davis taught at the University of Michigan Law School, was a litigating attorney at the National Wildlife Federation, and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, headquartered in Chicago. Commissioner Davis earned a Juris Doctor degree from Chicago‐Kent College of Law and certificate in Environmental and Energy Law. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University. In addition, he is an author, genealogist and fly fisherman. He is married to Dr. Katelyn Varhely, a child psychologist. They have two children.

Commissioner Du Buclet was born and raised on the South Side and is a life-long Chicago resident. She was first elected to the MWRD Board of Commissioners in November 2018. Commissioner Du Buclet said her main areas of focus with the MWRD will be to increase awareness of environmental justice issues across the MWRD service area. She is devoted to working to increase the amount of open green space that communities have access to and provide more green infrastructure opportunities for water conservation. She said she will work diligently to continue to fulfill the mission of the MWRD by working to protect the quality of the region’s water supply, improve the quality of water in area waterways and continue to protect businesses and homes from flood damage across Cook County. Commissioner DuBuclet was introduced at the installation ceremony by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and sworn in by Illinois Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr.

“I appreciate the opportunity to serve once again as an advocate of our water environment on behalf of millions of Cook County residents we represent and who rely on our services,” said Commissioner Du Buclet. “I look forward to continuing to make the necessary investments in our infrastructure to address the challenges of flooding and manage stormwater across our region. By working together, we will be able to protect the quality of our waterways and lead the effort on climate change as well as protecting our environment and water supply for future generations to come.”

Commissioner Du Buclet previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives as state representative of the 26th District from 2011 to 2013 and was honored for her consistent voting with the Illinois Environmental Council. In her role as the legislative and community affairs director for the Chicago Park District, she works with elected officials and community organizations around the city and state to improve parks throughout Chicago. Commissioner Du Buclet earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She has been married to her husband Alex for 29 years and they have two children.

As a mother and the daughter of immigrants, Commissioner Corral Sepúlveda is driven by a passion to ensure that younger generations have a bright future of opportunity and that government is accessible and inclusive of all communities.

“It is always exciting to be a trailblazer and to imagine how your work will open doors for others,” said Commissioner Corral Sepúlveda. “I was motivated to run for MWRD commissioner by the urgency of climate change and the need for a greener and more equitable future. I am ready to get to work ensuring that the MWRD is a national leader in stormwater management, public health and resilience to climate change.”

Commissioner Corral Sepúlveda, who serves as clerk in her community for the Village of Hanover Park, is the first Latina elected to the MWRD Board of Commissioners. She is also the youngest and first commissioner in recent history to come from the northwest suburbs of Cook County. During the installation ceremony, she was introduced by U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (4th District) and sworn in by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Perla Tirado.

During her three terms as clerk of Hanover Park, Commissioner Corral Sepúlveda triumphed on engagement and environmentalism, helping to register thousands of new voters and strengthening Hanover Park’s legacy as a Tree City USA and establishing Arbor Day initiatives that place an emphasis on diversity, inclusion and global impact. Commissioner Corral Sepúlveda graduated from DePaul University in 2007 with a double major in Latino and Latin American Studies and Political Science and minors in Community Service Studies and Commercial Spanish. Commissioner Corral Sepúlveda resides in Hanover Park with her husband, Roberto Sepúlveda, and their son and daughter.

“We welcome back Commissioners Davis and Du Buclet and welcome Commissioner Corral Sepúlveda to our talented and diverse Board of Commissioners which strives tirelessly to protect the public health and regional water environment for 10 million people each day,” said President Kari K. Steele. “During this global pandemic, it is their inspiring determination and commitment to leadership that we appreciate and need more than ever. We thank them and their families for their service, dedication and I look forward to working alongside them.”

MWRD commissioners are elected at large and serve on a salaried, part-time basis to govern the MWRD. 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.

Installation Ceremony.pdf