In 2018, Bridget Degnen was elected to serve as the Cook County Commissioner for District 12. Bridget’s priorities include pragmatic financial housekeeping, combating climate change through green initiatives aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the County and its citizens, and keeping our neighborhoods safe.
Before becoming Commissioner, Bridget received her undergraduate degree in environmental engineering. She then served in the United States Peace Corps, in Mali, West Africa. After returning from her Peace Corps service, Bridget worked as an environmental engineer directing field crews throughout North America. She continued her education by attending law school, practicing in both the private and public sectors. From 2013, until running for Cook County Commissioner, she served as the first Deputy Director of Medical Cannabis at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, establishing the program and regulating dispensaries licensed under Illinois’ Medical Cannabis Pilot Program.
Cook County primarily governs issues related to public health and public safety. On the Board of Commissioners, Bridget serves as the Chair of the Audit Committee. She is Vice Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee, and the Rules Committee. She serves as a member of the following Committees: Contract Compliance, Criminal Justice, Finance, Finance Subcommittee on Litigation, Finance Subcommittee on Worker’s Compensation, Health and Hospitals, Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Labor, Legislation and Intergovernmental, Technology and Innovation, Transportation, and Zoning and Building. On the Forest Preserve Board of Cook County, Bridget is the Vice Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee and Rules Committee, and a member of the following Committees: Audit, Contract Compliance, Finance, Finance Subcommittee on Litigation, Labor, Legislation and Intergovernmental, and Real Estate. Bridget lives with her husband and son in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood.