May 16, 2011

Mayor-elect Emanuel Announces Department of Family and Support Services Leadership Team

Previously posted on April 28, 2011


Today, Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel announced the next leaders of the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS). Evelyn Diaz will serve as Commissioner of DFSS and John Pfeiffer will support her as First Deputy Commissioner.

"Evelyn and John understand that at the end of the day, this is not about programs, but about people. It's not about the number of dollars we spend, but about the number of lives we affect," said Mayor-elect Emanuel.

Evelyn Diaz, Commissioner

Evelyn Diaz will serve as the Commissioner of DFSS. She is currently the CEO of the Chicago Workforce Investment Council (CWIC), where she works closely with City government and the private sector to improve workforce development programs across Chicago. Before joining the CWIC, Diaz served as deputy chief of staff for Mayor Daley, where she led the creation of the Chicago LEADS initiative, chaired the City's Green Jobs Initiative, and oversaw health, human services, and employment investments. Previously, she worked for the Chicago Jobs Council. Diaz earned her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and her M.A. in social service administration from the University of Chicago.

John Pfeiffer, First Deputy Commissioner

John Pfeiffer will serve as First Deputy Commissioner. John is currently the executive director and CEO of Inspiration Corporation, a non-profit that operates the Inspiration Cafe and helps more than 3,000 homeless and low-income Chicagoans achieve greater self-sufficiency and stability each year. John previously served as Director of Operations for New York City's Department of Homeless Services and as a consultant at KPMG, where he focused on the management of nonprofit and public institutions. John earned his B.A. from Northwestern University and his M.P.A. in non-profit and public management from Columbia University.