HR0782 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0782 LRB099 14351 MST 38439 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize Dorothy Brown for her 15 years of service as the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County and as one of the longest-serving countywide African-American elected officials; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Brown was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2000 and has been re-elected to 3 additional terms; 4 consecutive victories by overwhelming margins illustrate voter confidence in her abilities as the official keeper of records for all judicial matters brought into one of the largest unified court systems in the world; she is responsible for managing an annual operating budget of more than $100 million and has a workforce of 1,800 employees; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Brown has brought revolutionary changes to the operations of the circuit court clerk's office through her focus on improving services within 5 strategic areas: 21st century technology, operational efficiency, customer service, employee training and development, and financial accountability; she has implemented a host of innovative programs that have streamlined processes, improved quality service, saved millions of dollars for taxpayers, and increased revenue for Cook County; and

WHEREAS, Before her time as Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Dorothy Brown served from 1991 to 2000 as the General Auditor for the Chicago Transit Authority; prior to that, she worked for one of the "Big Eight" accounting firms, a major utility company, and a major Chicago Bank; she also helped start a minority CPA firm; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Brown is a past President of the National Woman's Political Caucus of Greater Chicago, a past President of the Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, and a past President of the Southeast Case Management Auxiliary Board; she has served as Treasurer for both Working in the Schools (WITS) and the Illinois Chapter of the American Association of Attorneys and Certified Public Accountants; she is the founder and executive director of the Dorothy Brown Scholarship and Community Development Fund, an organization developed to secure funding for college-bound students; she is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a member of the King of Glory Tabernacle Church of God in Christ; her professional memberships include the Chicago Bar Association, the Cook County Bar Association, the Black Women Lawyers' Association, and the Illinois Association of Certified Public Accountants; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Brown has been recognized by various organizations for her outstanding professional and public service; among her numerous accolades, she was awarded the 2002 Hillary Rodham Clinton Leadership Award from the Illinois Democratic Women, the 2003 Marks of Excellence Award from the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, the 2003 Women of Achievement Award from the Anti-Defamation League, the 2004 NAACP Medal of Freedom from the Proviso/Leyden Township in Illinois, the 2004 Pakistan Women Association Outstanding Community Service Award, the 2005 "Voice of Freedom Award" from the Harriet Beecher Stowe Fine & Performing Arts Academy, the 2006 Justinian Society of Lawyers Humanitarian Award, the 2006 Indian American Medical Association Public Service Award, the Information Integrity Coalition's 2007 Excellence in Information Integrity Award Finalist, Nielsen's 2007 "Single Mama of the Year" award, the Illinois Institute of Technology 2007 Professional Achievement Award, the Youth Pride Center's 2008 Youth Advocate of the Year Award, the Demoiselle 2 Femme's 2008 Community Partnership Award, the Illinois Traffic Safety Leaders 2009 Joanne Blair Award, the 2009 Chicago-Kent Professional Achievement Award, and the Cook County Bar Association's "2010 Law Day Award of Appreciation"; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Brown graduated from Webster High School, where she was in the top 10% of her class and captain of the girls' basketball team; she graduated magna cum laude from Southern University in 1975; she received her Certified Public Accountant certification in 1977, her Master's in Business Administration with honors from DePaul University in Chicago in 1981, and her Juris Doctorate with honors in 1996 from Chicago-Kent College of Law; she lives in Chicago with her husband, Dr. Benton Cook, and has a daughter, Detris; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize Dorothy Brown for serving 15 years as the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County and as one of the longest-serving countywide African-American elected officials and we wish her many more successful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dorothy Brown as an expression of our esteem and respect.