University of Illinois Board of Trustees, in accordance with state law, authorizes the Extension Council to be actively involved in the operation of University of Illinois Extension. Under the new organization of Cook County Extension, the system will have one countywide Extension Council. Cook County Extension Council cooperates with the Cook Director, Associate Director, and Extension staff in planning, promoting, developing, evaluating, and marketing programs to meet the needs, interests, and resources of communities and residents of the county.

The Cook County Council is an advisory body with the goal of advising the Cook County Director about outreach as it relates to the county's 21^st century plan. The council is representative of residents whose backgrounds range from human resource management, abuse recovery programs, medical, legal administration, government, educational institutions, property management, global and immigration, and financial institutions.

The following list represents a broad scope of their roles:

• Assist with collecting and interpreting information about residents needs and reporting that to key stakeholders
• Participate in program evaluation and delivery
• Assist in collecting information regarding program impact
• Provide Extension with linkages among the communities and neighborhoods
• Support and advocate for Cook County Extension. Be an ambassador for Cook County Extension with key stakeholders
• Identify and recruit potential resources both human and financial
• Provide for the involvement of neighborhood people in addressing specific neighborhood issues across the county

Each council member is not expected to assume each of the above roles. However, every attempt will be made to recruit talents needed to have a diverse council for the County.

2007-2008 Extension Council

-Executive Council-

Prentiss Jackson

Gwendoyln Mastin

Lisa Messinger

Ethel M Muhammad

June Price

Britt L. Savage

Geraldine Simmons

Eugene Williams

-Suburban Program Advisory Committee

Joan Barnes

Dr. Jack S. Brar

David Bonnette

Barbara Cole

Georgia Dominguez

Polly R. Hawkins

Jeremiah Johnson

Adella Jordan-Luster

Marva King

Ellen Miles

Larry Reynolds

Regina Rivers

Collette Shrank

Mary Swanson

-Chicago Program Advisory Committee

Helen Charity

Richard Dobbins

Julie Emerick

Dr. Rev. Robert House

Kiljoong Kim

Hazel A. King

Yousef Marei

Karen Sweatt

Cheryl Walker