CHICAGO—Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced on Friday that Kate LeFurgy will serve as communications director for the Mayor’s Office. LeFurgy, who has been the Mayor’s Deputy Communications Director since May 2020, will replace outgoing Communications Director Michael Crowley. 

“Kate has played a critical part in navigating our city through the enormous challenges of the last year,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “She is fiercely committed to our mission of building a transparent, responsive City government that reflects the experience and needs of our residents, and I’m thrilled to have her stepping into this leadership role. I'd also like to thank Michael Crowley for his unrelenting focus, clarity and guidance during his service to my administration and to our city. Michael has done outstanding work under incredibly strenuous circumstances, and he will be missed. We wish him well on his next chapter." 

Prior to joining the Lightfoot administration, LeFurgy was Chief Communications Officer to Chicago City Clerk Anna M. Valencia and one of her first hires when she took office in 2017. At the Clerk’s Office, she led the communications campaign to launch the CityKey, the municipal identification program, an optional, free and valid government-issued ID available for all Chicagoans regardless of age, housing or immigration status. She also worked on and raised awareness of Clerk Valencia’s efforts to reform regressive fines and fees that unfairly targeted working families in Chicago.  

“I am thrilled to step into the role of Communications Director for Mayor Lightfoot in this crucial moment,” said LeFurgy. “Now more than ever, clear and direct communication and transparency is necessary to help Chicagoans steer through this crisis. That is a solemn responsibility that I stand ready to fulfil.” 

LeFurgy holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University. An avid gardener, she resides in Wicker Park with her husband and their cat, Luna.  

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