Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0595

HR0595 LRB104 16822 ECR 30231 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Carmen K. Triche-Colvin has dedicated more than three decades of exemplary service to Cook County and the State of Illinois, demonstrating exceptional leadership, integrity, and innovation in procurement, fiscal management, organizational development, and public administration; and

WHEREAS, Since 2018, Carmen Triche-Colvin has served as deputy clerk of the Board and Procurement for the Cook County Clerk's Office, where she has maintained all legislative records and the Code of Ordinances and successfully implemented a new office purchasing system that streamlined procurement across nine divisions, reducing processing time by 42%, improving headcount efficiency by 20%, and achieving 18% in net savings; and

WHEREAS, Carmen Triche-Colvin served as a senior election trainer for the Chicago Board of Elections from 2015 to 2022, training thousands of election judges and coordinators on election day procedures, equipment operations, voter services, and compliance protocols, ensuring efficient, safe, and accurate election administration for the residents of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Carmen Triche-Colvin served as chief executive officer of Next Level Strategies, a company that focused on strategic improvement for small business, from 2015 to 2018; she delivered transformative organizational results across both for-profit and non-profit sectors, achieving a 22% net income growth, expanding business partnerships by 18%, reducing procurement processing time by 27%, and securing significant cost savings and customer satisfaction improvements; and

WHEREAS, During her service as deputy director of the Office of Urban Assistance at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity from 2011 to 2015, Carmen Triche-Colvin administered and oversaw programs exceeding $450 million, including the Urban Weatherization Initiative, the Illinois Fresh Food Fund, and the Employment Opportunity Grant Fund, while facilitating green jobs training for 18,000 individuals; she also achieved a 75% certification rate, expanded county participation by 300%, improved energy efficiency for low-income households, restored equity and integrity to statewide grant-making processes, eliminated fiscal malfeasance, and further advanced statewide diversity compliance initiatives while producing annual reports to the Illinois General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, As chief procurement officer for the Office of the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners from 2006 to 2011, Carmen Triche-Colvin administered procurement for 100 agencies with an annual budget of $345 million, achieving 35% commodity savings, 42% gains in supplier diversity, and 30 to 33% reductions in processing time, and she generated $30 million in total savings through audits and strategic sourcing, created the Cook County Business Opportunity Expo, and led countywide procurement training programs; and

WHEREAS, Carmen Triche-Colvin served as chief procurement officer for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County from 2002 to 2006, where she delivered major cost savings, including an average 37% savings through strategic vendor agreements, implemented procurement card programs, established an electronic surplus disposal process that generated $395,000, reduced procurement errors by 73%, and increased vendor engagement by 38%; and

WHEREAS, During her tenure as deputy purchasing agent from 1996 to 2002, Carmen Triche-Colvin oversaw procurement for 100 agencies, reducing delivery time by 16%, increasing vendor participation by 34%, and implementing performance metrics that improved procurement efficiency by 22%; and

WHEREAS, Carmen Triche-Colvin began her career as a senior budget analyst from 1990 to 1996; in this role, she supervised the development of 27 agency budgets totaling more than $115 million, prepared leadership for budget hearings, reconciled financial data, and provided essential fiscal oversight that ensured accountability and transparency in county government; and

WHEREAS, Throughout her distinguished career, Carmen Triche-Colvin has demonstrated unwavering commitment to ethical leadership, equity, operational excellence, and innovation, and she has made meaningful contributions that strengthened public trust, improved government efficiency, and enhanced the lives of residents across Cook County and the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend Carmen K. Triche-Colvin for her extraordinary service, leadership, and dedication to public administration, procurement reform, community development, and government excellence; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we thank Carmen K. Triche-Colvin for her more than three decades of transformative impact on government operations and the communities served; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Carmen Triche-Colvin as a symbol of esteem and respect.