Following nearly two decades as a Chicago Alderman (4th Ward), Toni Preckwinkle became the first woman elected Cook County Board President in November 2010. As President, she oversees the second largest county in the United States with more than 5 million residents and a budget of $2.9 billion. Preckwinkle operates with a spirit of collaboration that is rooted in a common commitment to fiscal responsibility, innovative leadership, transparency and accountability and improved services. A two-degree graduate of the University of Chicago, Preckwinkle began her career as a high school history teacher before launching a grassroots campaign for City Council in 1991. A wife and mother of two children, she also has three grandchildren.