In an effort to streamline the county’s messaging between departments and to the public, the county went through a re-branding effort this past year, using no consultants and very few dollars to accomplish this ongoing effort. A celebration was held on Tuesday, April 25 to unveil the new logo. Three who took part in the rebranding committee (from left), Cook County IT Director Rena Rogers, Cook County Board Chair Jan Sivertson, and director of Emergency Management Valerie Marasco, spoke at the unveiling.
The words “crisp, clean, efficient” were repeated again and again when it came time to talk about the county’s new logo which depicts sky, water and the Tip of the Arrowhead.
IT Director Rena Rogers said Kyle Oberg, who works in IT in GPS, has an art background and he created the logo. It drew rave reviews from the people who attended the county’s rebranding party held on Tuesday, April 25 at 2 p.m. in the commissioners’ room.
And soon the logo, which now appears on the county’s website, will be on county stationery, business cards, county-owned cars, trucks, and highway equipment. In short, anything that is Cook County’s will be identified by this brand.
Rogers, along with County Administrator Jeff Cadwell, commissioner board chair Jan Sivertson and Valerie Marasco addressed the crowd on Tuesday.
While everyone attending seemed to know Marasco, who accepted the position of director of Emergency Management last September after Jim Wiinanen retired, she was reintroduced as director of Emergency Management & Public Information, a position the county board approved that morning.
With more than 15 years’ experience in public relations and communications specializing in municipal government and emergency service, creative direction, publication and brand management, and media relations, Marasco seems to be a great fit for her new roles, said Cadwell.
“The pieces of the puzzle have aligned, and we are pleased to be able to implement a more strategic approach by reorganizing departments,” Cadwell said. “Ms. Marasco brings a wealth of experience to us and has worked with Cook County Emergency Management for several years on cross-border initiatives and public information training for us before becoming staff.”
Marasco came to Cook County from Thunder Bay where she spent more than a decade as part of the City of Thunder Bay’s communications leadership team and the Emergency Operations Control Group. She holds a double BA from the University of Minnesota Duluth and LaUniversidad de Guadalajara in Mexico. Marasco was born in the Twin Cities.
“I am very much looking forward to expanding the county’s communication capacity and integrating this within emergency management as its department,” Marasco said. “We have seen great success with the new public information program to date within the sheriff ’s office, as well as significant accomplishments in a short amount of time with the county’s new brand, development of the communications committee and communications policy.
“I am excited to continue this momentum and share the model across the other service areas. I feel very fortunate to be working with a great management team and being able to bring my experience in both emergency management and communications to one of my favorite places.”
Cook County Commissioner Board Chair Jan Sivertson said Marasco’s expanded role would greatly help communications in the county. Sivertson said problems arose last year, because, “We didn’t always communicate well. It’s going to be great going forward.”
As for IT Director Rogers, she said, “Today is the culmination of a vision and a lot of hard work. A vision to improve the way Cook County government communicates, both internally with our staff, and externally with those we serve.
“Less than a year ago we launched a new county website. The program charter for the new website laid out a vision of that effort: “Create a new Cook County website that improves service and information dissemination to our constituents, and in doing so improves the relationship between county government and those we serve. This provided us with a powerful communication tool.
“Last fall a communications committee was formed. The committee was tasked with putting the policies, processes, and resources in place to improve our communication. By communication, I don’t simply mean talking points and prepared statements. Good communication is two-way—we listen, and we speak. Good communication is responsive, but it is also proactive. And finally, good communication strives to make information available in all the ways people consume it.
“The county board has approved the committee’s communication policy and branding recommendations. And as of today, we can also celebrate the approval of an outstanding, dedicated communications resource to help us move forward.”
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