Cook County names new CFO, chief administrative officer

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle recently announced the appointments of Tanya S. Anthony as chief financial officer of the county's Bureau Of Finance and Zahra Ali to chief administrative officer of the county's Bureau of Administration.

The two will assume their new roles on Jan. 1, with confirmation from the county board expected at the January board meeting.

Anthony has dedicated her career to public service with roles in budget and administration both at the county and the city of Chicago. She returns to the Bureau of Finance after three years as the county's chief administrative officer. In that role, she led the Bureau of Administration's 12 departments and divisions, with a budget of more than $600 million and workforce of more than 650.

In October, Crain's Chicago Business named Anthony one of Chicago's Notable Military Veteran Executives.

Ali began her career with the county in 2002 with roles in budget and revenue. She currently serves as deputy chief administrative officer for the Bureau of Administration, where she launched a strategic planning process for all the bureau's departments and divisions, initiated process improvements and guided departments through the budget, human resources and procurement processes.