Mayor Rahm Emanuel today named Joan E. Coogan as First Deputy Chief of Staff, replacing Joe Deal, who was recently promoted to serve as the Mayor’s Chief of Staff. Coogan will provide strategic guidance as well as oversight for key projects and initiatives.

Coogan currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Chicago Transit Board, the seven member governing body of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). In this role, she manages board affairs, including preparation for monthly board meetings and advising directors of proposed changes in CTA policy and financial matters. Most recently, she led the collaborative efforts of the CTA and the City for the approval of a Transit TIF to help fund a $2.1 billion project to renovate the Red and Purple train lines. She also serves as board chair and trustee of the Retiree Health Care Trust for CTA Employees, and is currently a trustee and previously chaired the board of trustees for the CTA’s pension fund.

Prior to joining the CTA, Coogan served as Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs under Mayor Richard M. Daley. Before serving in this role, she worked in Mayor Daley’s office for more than a decade and was primarily responsible for the administration’s City Council agenda. She has also previously worked in Cook County government and as a lobbyist in private law practice.

Coogan holds a B.A. from St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana and a J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. She resides in the Lakeview neighborhood.

She will start in her new role in January.

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