Mike Charley Named Skokie Director of Health and Human Services

Effective November 16, 2020, Mike Charley begins his tenure as Director of Health and Human Services for the Village of Skokie. For the past 17 years, Charley has been on staff with the Village of Oak Park Health Department, serving as the Public Health Director since 2016 after holding the positions of Acting Health Director and Environmental Health Supervisor.

“Mike Charley’s expertise and his extensive experience with all aspects of community health make him an ideal choice to lead the Skokie Health and Human Services Department,” said Village Manager John Lockerby. “He has directed an efficient and thorough COVID-19 response in Oak Park, and I am confident that his knowledge, leadership skills and established relationships with state and county officials will serve the Skokie community well as we continue to face this public health challenge together.”

Charley’s background also includes involvement in numerous public health campaigns that mirror those undertaken by the Skokie Health Department, such as tobacco cessation, rodent control, West Nile Virus response and more. He has secured and administered millions of dollars in grants throughout his public health career. The breadth of Charley’s experience includes expertise in environmental health, having served as a sanitarian early in his career before progressing to an environmental health supervisor. In these roles, he worked closely with food establishments and institutions on inspection issues, foodborne illness and complaint investigations.

Charley holds a Master of Science degree in environmental management and a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental health. In addition, he is a licensed lead assessor and retail food inspection officer in the State of Illinois and has earned numerous crisis management/emergency response certificates. Throughout his career, he has been involved with the Illinois Environmental Health Association, providing leadership to the organization as the current North Chapter Director, as president, director, membership chair and more.

“I am delighted and humbled to have been chosen to lead the Skokie Health and Human Services Department, one of the most respected state-certified health departments in the State of Illinois,” said Charley. “Public Health is my passion and I am looking forward to working closely with Skokie’s experienced public health staff and the Board of Health in providing Skokie’s residents, businesses, schools and other public health stakeholders with services and public health response that improves the health and welfare of the Skokie community.”

Charley succeeds Dr. Catherine Counard who now serves as a Medical Officer of the Office of Health Protection at the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Village of Skokie has one of eight state-certified municipal health departments in the State of Illinois. For more information visit www.skokie.org.