Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle Announces Appointment of Graham C. Grady to Workforce Innovation Board

COOK COUNTY, Ill. – Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced today that Graham C. Grady has been appointed co-chair of the Workforce Innovation Board (WIB). The WIB is a federally mandated body that oversees the investment of the Chicago and Cook County region’s annual Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) allocation from the U.S. Department of Labor.

“Graham Grady has extensive experience spanning the public, private, and civic sectors and he will bring strong, collaborative leadership to the Workforce Innovation Board,” said President Preckwinkle. “His deep knowledge of Chicago and Cook County, coupled with his ability to build consensus among government, business, and community stakeholders, makes him an ideal fit to help lead the Board and advance a strong, responsive regional workforce system.”

“I’m honored to join the Chicago Cook Workforce Innovation Board and look forward to building strong partnerships among the County, City, State and local employers and workforce ecosystem stakeholders,” said Grady. “Having served as the Chair of Cook County’s Economic Development Advisory Committee, I’m grateful to President Preckwinkle for this opportunity to continue serving our communities and economic partners.”

The WIB is comprised of 23 public and private sector leaders in business, organized labor, economic development, education, and community-based organizations appointed by the Mayor of Chicago and the Cook County Board President. With their guidance, WIOA dollars are administered by the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership (The Partnership), a nonprofit umbrella organization operating the largest public workforce system in the country providing services to local employers and jobseekers.

“I look forward to working with Graham as a co-chair of the Workforce Innovation Board and Partnership Non-Profit Board of Directors,” said Dwayne Douglas, co-chair of the WIB and Non-Profit Board. “My work in the region focuses on braiding non-profit and for-profit funds to eliminate barriers to digital literacy, which is key to workforce development. I look forward to working with Graham who I know will bring his professional experience in economic development to the dedicated members of the WIB, for the benefit of regional employers and career seekers.”

Grady brings extensive experience spanning the public, private, and civic sectors, with a career focused on economic development, local government, public policy, and community investment. As a Partner at Taft, he brings a strong business perspective and extensive experience working with employers, developers, institutions, and other private-sector stakeholders throughout the region.

Grady served as Chair of Cook County’s Economic Development Advisory Committee from summer 2024 through October 2026. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership positions in City government, including serving as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Buildings and Zoning Administrator. Across these roles, he has developed a strong understanding of governmental operations and the importance of effective collaboration among the public and private sectors.