Richard J. Monocchio

Backed by more than three decades of experience in government, Richard J. Monocchio currently excels as the executive director of the Housing Authority of Cook County. In his position since 2011, he subsidizes rent for approximately 18,000 households in suburban Cook County, operates 30 developments, oversees 165 employees, maintains his involvement in job training and placement and raises funds to develop initiatives such as school programs for children. Specializing in housing development and housing policy, Mr. Monocchio is most proud of his contributions in keeping residents housed during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Emergency Rental Assistance program. Funded by the federal government, he was able to help more than 20,000 renters stay in their apartments, ultimately overcoming the crisis.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Monocchio was the first deputy housing commissioner for the city of Chicago under the Daley administration, worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the Clinton administration and served as senior adviser to the late U.S. Rep. George E. Sangmeister from 1989 to 1994. Among his other notable positions, he has served as the vice chairperson for the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County and as a board member for both the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership and the Cook County Land Bank Authority.

To prepare for his professional journey, Mr. Monocchio earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Illinois Chicago in 1984. He attributes his vast career success to his numerous mentors, including Henry Gabriel Cisneros, Joseph Shuldiner, Mayor Richard Daley and Toni Preckwinkle. Looking toward the future, Mr. Monocchio aims to continue to develop additional housing, utilizing his agency as a beacon to show how people can benefit from an efficient and effective government. He plans to begin a campaign at the state level to raise awareness and increase the supply of affordable housing.