Meet Mariyana
Elected to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board of Commissioners in 2010, Mariyana Spyropoulos served as Board President from 2015-19. As president, she embraced green infrastructure and oversaw the disinfection of Chicago’s waterways - a project that directly benefited the water environment while creating thousands of jobs. Mariyana also maintained MWRD’s AAA bond rating and pushed for transparency by introducing independent oversight of the District and live-streaming board meetings.
Mariyana emphasizes community outreach and engagement by speaking to community groups throughout Cook County about water, good government and environmental issues. In 2017, she received both the Illinois Water Environment Association Public Official Award and the Spirit of the River Award from Friends of the Chicago River.
A former Assistant State's Attorney, Mariyana earned her law degree at The John Marshall Law School and her MBA from Loyola University Chicago. She also completed graduate work in American Government at Georgetown University.
The daughter of immigrants, Mariyana grew up on Chicago's South Side. She attended Chicago Public Schools and took an early interest in civics.
Mariyana is a member of the Chicago Sierra Club, the John Marshall Alumni Board, Hellenic Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association and Sankofa House Board. She lives with her husband in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood.
Connect with Mariyana
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Citizens for Mariyana Spyropoulos
180 North LaSalle #3700
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Contact
Click here to contact Mariyana to talk about any issues facing Cook County.
MWRD Board Work
A champion for the environment, transparency and fiscal responsibility
Mariyana was first elected to the MWRD’s nine-member Board of Commissioners in 2010 and re-elected in 2016. She served as Chair of Finance from 2013-15 and then as Board President from 2015-19. In addition to serving on the Public Building Commission and as a Trustee on the Pension Board, Mariyana chairs three committees: Judiciary; Labor and Industrial Relations; and Pension, Human Resources and Civil Service. She’s known for her efforts advocating for increased transparency and fiscal responsibility.
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Some of the initiatives Mariyana championed include:
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Pushing for an Inspector General to have independent oversight of the MWRD
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Increasing transparency by pushing for the recording and streaming of board meetings
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Introducing an online app that makes it easy for the public to report water pollution and protect the environment
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Championing MWRD's support for the Paris Climate Agreement and the push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
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Prioritizing contracts with veteran-owned and operated small businesses
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Ensuring financial security by passing balanced budgets and maintaining the AAA Bond Rating
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Mariyana Spyropoulos is one of Chicago’s leading advocates for transparency in good government, fiscal responsibility and environmental stewardship.