Janelle Octavia Silva

As Communications and Special Events Manager, I work directly with the City Manager, the Police and Public Works Departments in addition to the Fire and Park Districts to ensure safety and enjoyment for citizens as well as service and entertainment providers. You'll see my handiwork on social media as well as public signage and in print media.

Wood Dale is a strong community and one of the best-kept secret cities of Illinois. I am responsible for diverse administrative and clerical duties that rely on accuracy and collaboration with colleagues for the City Manager. My position also assists the Community Outreach Director with planning, coordinating, running, and promoting community events. I work closely with the Deputy Clerk and assist that office as needed. My role in Wood Dale allows for my excellent communication and customer service skills to shine with citizens and colleagues. Additionally, I provide effective coordination with all City departments, various outside organizations, and elected officials to ensure that all T's are crossed and I's are dotted. I am honored to be a part of the Wood Dale team.

Coaching allows me to give back to a community that has given me so much joy. While coaching, I cheerfully guide, check-in, offer suggestions, and provide methods that have been tested, and provide excellent results for the novice and more experienced runner. I enjoy providing positive visualization to help runners compete, complete, and meet their intended goals. My humble running start began one block at a time, and before I knew it, many miles were under my belt. It wasn't easy, and it took much patience. I credit running to confidence in my career, parenting skills, and becoming a more compassionate person. The running community is home to me. It's where we, as a team, can create a plan and achieve it, one step at a time. Outside of coaching, I pace for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and a variety of half marathons across the United States. My first marathon was the 2007 - in Florence, Italy, and since then, I have run over 25 marathons.

I provide challenging indoor spin/stationary cycling instruction for all levels of participants, guiding through a complete set of workout phases. This includes a warm-up, cadence drills, climbs, intervals, active recovery and cool-down periods, etc. I provide clear, concise cues, and utilize music for an exciting atmosphere to provide a competitive edge during race season. I've also created an introductory class called "Spin for Beginners" for the Park Ridge Park District. As a competitive local cyclist, triathlete, and endurance athlete, the indoor spin class has been a fantastic way to maintain and build my fitness level.

I had the great pleasure of being the staff liaison to the Consumer Affairs Commission for the Village of Skokie. The Commission coordinated consumer activities within the Village, including educational forums, Business of the Year Awards, and the Farmers' Market. The Commission, an advisory body that prepared reports for the Village Board and made recommendations on ordinances, regulations, and methods of enforcement related to consumer affairs. All recommendations were presented to the Mayor and the Board of Trustees, which I was entrusted to present. This volunteer Commission was full of positivity and creativity. I am very honored to have been their staff liaison.

I assisted the Director of Marketing and Communications within the Village Manager's Office for the Village of Skokie. Working for the Village of Skokie earned me the professional experience to provide exceptional citizen-based customer service to a broad demographic while interacting with the public in one-on-one and group situations, and communicating effectively through social media, newsletters, and other platforms. It was a great honor to work for the Village, in which I also was a resident for 18 years.

My role as a market manager included selecting prospective vendors, confirming vendor certification/licensing with the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Department of Agriculture and county guidelines. I also strategically mapped out vendor locations, administered social media, website information, and create calendared information for publications meant for various media outlets. In February 2016, I was honored to participate as a break-out educational speaker at the Annual Illinois Farmers Market Association Statewide Conference. In 2018, after much work on my part and gathering resources - after the market was 43 years of existence, I was able to initiate SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) at the Skokie Farmers' Market. This program provides access to fresh produce, baked goods, meat, and cheeses to those who qualify by the State of Illinois. Initiating SNAP was done in part by a generous grant through the Farmers Marker Coalition. Additionally, I was instrumental in receiving a grant from the NorthShore University HealthSystem Skokie Hospital, in providing a matching program of up to $10 per day, per person at the market. By providing additional spending money to low-income shoppers, this program also helps to dispel shoppers' fears that farmers' markets are too expensive or that healthy eating is difficult. Initiating SNAP to the community was one of the proudest moments in my career. It was challenging work, but I loved every moment of it. Fitness and nutrition is a personal passion of mine, and I was honored to provide a platform for locally sourced, nutrient-dense foods to the community. I am also grateful to the Skokie elected officials and administrators who supported this effort fiscally through the annual budget.

Working full time and two part time positions allows for one class a semester at university. It takes sacrifices and determination.

I had the honor of being the first student commencement speaker at the Spring 2016 graduation.