Oak Park names permanent Public Health Director

January 9, 2017 – Michael T. Charley has been named permanent Director of the Oak Park Department of Public Health.

Charley, who had served as interim director since October 2015, will oversee an operation that is one of only four municipal health departments in suburban Cook County certified by the state to provide public health programming.

“I am pleased to recognize all of Mike’s hard work as interim director with this permanent appointment to a role that is vital to helping protect the health and welfare of the community,” said Village Manager Cara Pavlicek. “His many years with the Village and time served as interim director have made him uniquely qualified to assume this role in an official capacity. He knows the staff, he knows the community and he knows what it takes to manage a public health department.”

Prior to becoming interim director, Charley served as the Oak Park Health Department’s Environmental Health Supervisor, a role he assumed in December 2003. Before joining Village staff, he had been an environmental health consultant and worked for a number of local state-certified health departments including DuPage County and the City of Evanston.

“I am honored to be named director of the Oak Park Department of Health, an organization I am proud to have been a part of for many years,” Charley said. “While the move from interim to permanent director does not change the duties, it does add to the sense of responsibility I feel to help define the future direction the department should go. With the continued guidance and support of the Village Manager and Village Board, I am confident the Oak Park Health Department will remain an important community asset.”

Charley earned a master’s degree in Environmental Management from the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Stuart School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health from Illinois State University. He also holds several professional licenses including being an Illinois Licensed Environmental Health Practitioner and an Illinois Licensed Lead Assessor. 

First certified by the state in 1948, the Oak Park Department of Public Health provides a wide range of services, including health assessments, investigations and screenings, education, prevention services, case management, nursing, counseling and access to other community resources. Health Department staff also inspects restaurants, childcare and long-term care facilities and provides animal licensing and control services. In addition, the department oversees rodent control and the Oak Park Farmer’s Market.

For more information on the Oak Park Department of Public Health, visit www.oak-park.us/health.

Mike Charley