The Will County Center for Economic Development (CED) Board of Directors selected Will County, Illinois, Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant to serve as its Chair.
As Chair, Bertino-Tarrant will lead the Board of Directors and Executive Committee in driving countywide efforts to expand economic opportunities, strengthen the local business environment, and attract new residents.
Bertino-Tarrant is the first Will County CED Chair from the public sector, demonstrating an increased level of engagement between the CED and local governmental partners to accomplish regional economic development goals. Since taking office as Will County Executive in 2021, Bertino-Tarrant has prioritized collaboration between local governments and the CED to increase job opportunities for residents and to foster a welcoming environment for businesses of all sizes.
The selection comes as Will County continues to serve as a national and regional leader in economic development. The county’s population is the fastest-growing in the state, recently surpassing 700,000 residents, and the county ranks first in statewide job creation and single-family home building. This coincides with a historic level of federal, state, and local infrastructure investments being made in Illinois, promoting easier and safer access for both residents and commerce throughout the county and region.
Bertino-Tarrant aims to work closely with local leaders to strengthen local economies throughout the county and support existing businesses. She also plans on shining a spotlight on Will County’s talent pool, which serves as one of its strongest economic assets.
This includes an increased focus on the CED’s youth development opportunities to support the local workforce pipeline, such as the Internship Program, which helped provide more than 70 summer jobs for Will County high school students in 2025, and the countywide initiative to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Will County to focus on early childhood education.
