Maria Pappas
118 North Clark, Room 212
Chicago, Illinois 60602

Employment

1998 – Present		Cook County Treasurer – Chicago
1990 – 1998		Cook County Commissioner – Chicago
1982 – Present		Private Practice, Attorney-at-Law – Chicago
1972 – Present		Private Practice, Individual and Group Therapy – Chicago

Previous Employment

Ministry of Justice – Athens, Greece
Greek Society for Adlerian Studies – Athens, Greece
Dreikurs Institute Staff – Tel Aviv, Israel
International Adlerian Summer School – Zurich, Switzerland
Greek Society of Psychology, Summer School Staff – Athens, Greece
Society of Individual Psychology, University of Essex – England
Professor of Psychology and Counseling, Governors State University – Park Forest, Illinois
Society of Individual Psychology – Austria
Adlerian Psychology Center – Holland
Community Professor, DePaul University – Chicago, Illinois
Teaching Assistant, Loyola University – Athens, Greece
Teaching Assistant, West Virginia University – Morgantown, West Virginia

Education

1982 Juris Doctor, I.I.T. Chicago-Kent College of Law – Chicago, Illinois
1976 Ph.D., Counseling and Psychology, Loyola University of Chicago – Chicago, Illinois
1972 M.A., Guidance and Counseling, West Virginia University – Morgantown, WV
1972 Certification, International Adlerian Summer School – West Liberty, West Virginia
1970 B.A., Sociology, West Liberty State College – West Liberty, West Virginia

Professional Organizations

Current
American Hellenic Institute, Incorporated · Aspen Institute, Society of Fellows · Chicago Bar Association · Chicago Network · Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce · Economic Club of Chicago · Government Finance Officers Association · Greater North Michigan Avenue Association · Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois · Illinois County Treasurer's Association · Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy · League of Women Voters · National Association of Female Executives · Symi Symposium, Member

Past
AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Member – Board of Trustees · American Society of Adlerian Psychology, Executive Secretary · ASAP Task Force on Minorities · Chicago Women in Government Relations · City Club of Chicago · Day-One Safari, Board of Directors · Hellenic Communications · Horizon Health Care, Board of Directors · Individual Psychologist, Associate Editor  International Film Festival, Member – Board of Directors · Most Notable Americans, 1976-1977 · St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center - Chicago, Member – Board of Trustees · Who’s Who in American Women

Achievements and Awards

Greater North Michigan Avenue Association – Eleven Years of Continuous Membership
2021 Person of the Year, by the Polish Daily News, Dziennik Zwiazkowy, Chicago’s oldest daily Polish newspaper
Greek American Restaurant Association – Recognition of Excellence
Benito Juarez Community Academy Students – Appreciation
Bosnian & Herzegovinian American Community – Support of Women’s Rights
City Club of Chicago – Civic Contributions
South Suburban Coordinated Democrats – Innovator of the Year
West Liberty State College Alumni Association – Wall of Fame Inductee
Chicago Defender Charities, Special Recognition – Youth Group
West Central Association – Thanks and Appreciation
Chicago Principal for a Day, Charles N. Holden Elementary School
Hellenic Bar Association of IL, Hellenic American Dental Society and Greek Women’s University Club - Distinguished and Dedicated Service
International Hispanic Latino Mental Health Week
United Hellenic American Congress – Greek-American Statesperson Award
Greek-American Community Services – Heritage Award
Pan Arcadian Federation of America – Arcadian of the Year 1998
International Christian Fellowship for Mission, Chicago – Recognition of Dedication
Illinois Committee for Honest Government – 10th Annual Distinguished Service Award

Appearances (foreign and domestic)

Cities Summit of the Americas, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., address and panel participation before mayors from North and South America.
Cadastre and Property Registry Summit of the Americas, Mexico City, Mexico, keynote speech on collecting and distributing $16 billion a year in property taxes.
31^st Economic Forum, Karpacz, Poland, address on collecting and distributing $16 billion a year in property taxes.
Inter-American Conference on Cadastre and Property Registry, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, "On the Frontier of the Property Tax System."
Greek Parliament, Athens, Greece, address on collecting and distributing $16 billion a year in property taxes.
Organization of American States, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., Summit of Cadastre and Property Registry (hosted this event for representatives from more than a dozen nations).

Activities/Hobbies

An avid bicyclist, runner and swimmer, Pappas has participated in about 100 rides, marathons, triathlons and long-distance rides for charity, including: 500-mile Midwest AIDS Ride from Minneapolis to Chicago; Cowalunga Tour to benefit the American Lung Association; and two Ground Zero-to-Pentagon rides to commemorate the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Consulting

Chicago Council on Medicine and Religion • Daniel Williams Hill Elementary School • Depot • Family Education • Association of Chicago • Jewish Vocational Services • Joliet School District • Latin School • Mormon Society of Salt Lake City, Utah • Moraine Valley Community College • National Teachers College • Northbrook School District • Ohio Valley Homemakers Association • St. Thomas Apostle Elementary School • Stone Baptist Church • True Temple of Solomon

ACCOMPLISHMENTS as Cook County Treasurer: 1998 to Present

1. Website - cookcountytreasurer.com
   • More than 100 million visitors have used this state-of-the-art system since February 2004 to:
     • Check payment status.
     • Search $84 million in available refunds.
     • Check for $34 million in missing exemptions.
     • Obtain electronic property tax bill.
     • Access taxing agency debt disclosure information.
     • View important property tax information in 108 different foreign languages.
   
   
2. The Pappas Studies – Research Group
   • Created a think tank -- led by two investigative journalists and data and mapping experts – to study inequities in the property tax system. Their work led to the Illinois Legislature's imminent passage of the biggest reform law in state history.
   • To date, published nine studies on:
     2021 Debt Report show gains to be short-lived; 2021 Tax Bill Analysis; Wealthy investors make millions exploiting tax law; Maps of Inequality show urban decay and the Black exodus started with redlining; 2020 tax bill analysis; 20-year tax history on all of Cook County's 1.8 million properties; Top 50 largest tax increases; voter turnout 2011-2020; and a Debt Study.
   
   
3. Debt Disclosure Ordinance – Transparency in Government
   • The Debt Disclosure Ordinance, initiated by the Cook County Treasurer and passed by the Cook County Board, requires every local taxing district to annually submit an electronic copy of the agency's most recent financial statement, debts/liabilities, gross tax levy, revenue, pension liability and unfunded pension liability. Visit cookcountytreasurer.com to review this financial information.
   
   
4. Taxpayer Convenience – Payments
   • NINE PAYMENT METHODS:
     • Mail to lockbox
     • In-Person at all Chase branches in Illinois
     • In-Person at over 160 Community Banks
     • In-Person at CCTO
     • Wire Payments by Third Party Agents
     • ACH Payments by Third Party Agents
     • Online (Internet)
     • Credit Card (Internet)
     • Subsequent Taxes by Tax Buyers (Internet)
   
   
5. Automated Phone System - English - Spanish - Polish - 312.443.5100
   • In FY2022, the Treasurer's Customer Service Call Center handled nearly 39,000 inquiries. The Automated Phone System was used 137,485 times without live representative assistance from December 1, 2021 to October 1, 2022 to:
     • Check payment status and search for a refund.
     • Receive important frequently updated information on the property tax system.
   
   
6. EMail System - Customer Relationship Management System
   • The Treasurer's Office has received and responded to nearly 198,000 emails since 2003.
   
   
7. Reduction in Staff
   • Reduced staff from 250 employees in 1998 to 59 employees in Fiscal Year 2023, a reduction of 76.4 percent.
   
   
8. Budget – Fiscal Responsibility
   • In Fiscal Year 2023, the office budget $13.4 million.
   • 95 percent of the office budget comes from commercial user fees, not taxpayer sources.
   
   
9. Web-based Systems for Third Parties
   • Third Party Agent (TPA) – Wire Payments. Commercial users have totaled 27 million wire payments (more than $80 billion) since August 2003.
   • Third Party Agent (TPA) – ACH Payments. The Treasurer's Office instituted a system for commercial users (banks, mortgage and title companies) to pay via ACH direct debit transactions from an online site instead of submitting individual checks to the office. Commercial users have submitted more than 1 million payments (more than $4.6 billion) since 2007.
   • Subsequent Tax Electronic Payment System (STEPS) allows Annual Tax Buyers to pay subsequent property taxes online through an ACH debit. Since December 17, 2007, there have been nearly 551,000 subsequent tax payments (almost $1.5 billion).
   • Designed Online Taxing Agency Extranet, which provides an informational site for communication with taxing agencies.
   • Implemented an Automated Tax Sale to replace the traditional outcry auction. Previously the sale would take one month, now takes four days.
   
   
10. Informational Brochures
    • Informational brochures are currently available in English and 27 languages: Albanian, Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Filipino, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovakian, Spanish, Thai, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese. The informational brochures have been downloaded 521,000 times (foreign brochures downloaded 425,000 times) since 2006.
    
    
11. Radio Broadcast
    • On WVON-AM 1690, regular host of "Black Houses Matter," advising minority-audience listeners that they may have refunds coming from overpayments or missed exemptions. To date, have returned more than $200 million to African American and Latino homeowners, who largely didn't know they had money due them.

All Data through May 1, 2023, unless otherwise stated.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS as Cook County Commissioner: 1990 to 1998

• Initiated and successfully fought for ethics and human rights ordinances.
  
• Successfully introduced ordinance requiring at least one public hearing on any measure to increase county debt. Public notice by newspaper publication must be given in advance of such hearing.
  
• Introduced ordinance calling for property tax abatement of $32 million.
  
• Established through Board Resolution, the Citizen's Advisory Sub-Committee on Law Enforcement, comprised of members of the legal, academic, social and public policy-making communities. This panel contributed numerous hours examining the county's fragmented criminal justice database, jail construction and operations, and other aspects of the criminal justice system both in the county and statewide.
  
• Co-authored a 30-page study on teenage pregnancy, outlining a wide-ranging program to combat this serious matter.
  
• Introduced numerous measures designed to instill fiscal reform. These measures included ordinances demanding truth-in-budgeting, fixed sum construction contracts on projects involving new structures that preclude expensive change orders, an end to no-bid legal and bond issue contracts, and periodic status reporting by outside consultants.
  
• Introduced an ordinance imposing a fine on any person who willingly falsifies residency or other information in order to gain free access to county health care services.
  
• Introduced the electronic home monitoring user fee ordinance, and successfully pushed for the enabling state law to have these criminal defendants pay at least a portion of their incarceration costs.
  

For a more extensive biography of Treasurer Maria Pappas, click here.