CHICAGO – Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot today announced two new key appointments to her senior leadership team – Manuel (Manny) Perez as Deputy Mayor of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) and Martina Hone as Chief Engagement Officer. The newest members of the administration’s senior team will oversee significant facets of the Mayor’s administration and top priorities, including local and federal policy as well as meaningful engagement with all of Chicago’s diverse communities.  

“Our commitment to grow our city and expand opportunity in communities that have experienced generational disinvestment demands that we draw from a diverse and dynamic set of voices and talents,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “Manny and Tina are  public servants who not only embody those values, but also bring incredible energy, deep experience, and the vast institutional knowledge needed as we face a critical juncture in our city’s history, and work to lay the foundation for our shared future.” 

Manuel (Manny) Perez, Deputy Mayor for Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA)  

Manuel Perez brings years of experience in Chicago government and politics. Perez started his work with the administration as the Managing Deputy Director for the Mayor’s Office Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) team.  

Prior to joining the administration, Perez led a variety of local, state and federal campaigns, including Mayor Lightfoot’s run for Mayor in 2019 and Illinois Congressman Jesús “Chuy” Garcia’s successful run for Congress in 2018. Additionally, Perez has held a variety of roles within the Cook County government, serving as the Special Assistant to the President of the County Board, Chief of Staff of the County Clerk, and Chief of Staff to then-Commissioner Jesús “Chúy” Garcia.  

As Deputy Mayor for IGA, Perez will shepherd the Mayor’s policy agenda in City Council, Springfield and Washington D.C.  

A Chicago native, born to Mexican immigrants, Perez grew up in neighboring Cicero, Illinois. He graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in History and currently lives in the Pilsen neighborhood.   

Martina (Tina) Hone, Chief Engagement Officer  

Martina Hone brings decades of public policy and community engagement experience to Mayor’s senior team. Hone comes to the administration from YWCA Metropolitan Chicago where she served as Chief Equity Officer, leading the organization’s economic empowerment and inclusive development efforts, as well as its overall public policy program.  

Prior to returning to Chicago, Hone spent over 20 years in Washington, D.C. working on a range of social justice and civil rights issues. She served as Education Policy Director on the Education & Workforce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to that she was an Associate Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she oversaw national outreach efforts for 2000 U.S. Decennial Census. Additionally, she was the lead Democratic Counsel on the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration.  

From 2007-2011, Hone served as an elected member of the Fairfax County (Virginia) School Board, where she focused on closing the achievement and discipline gaps for Black and LatinX students. That work also led her to found Coalition of the Silence, a community based organization committed to giving Black and LatinX parents an equal voice in local education policy.  

As Chief Engagement Officer, Hone shares the Mayor’s commitment to proactive and intentional outreach to ensure community voices inform the administration’s focus on advancing substantive outreach with Chicagoans through the development and implementation of city policies and programs.  

Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago—Hyde Park originally, then Chatham and later Roseland—Hone is the daughter of an African American mother and a Serbian father who came to the U.S. as a political refugee. Her unique background has given her a keen understanding of the diverse communities that make Chicago great. She received a B.A. in Political Science from University of Chicago and a J.D. from the University of California Berkeley.  

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