State’s Attorney Foxx Appoints New Chief of External Affairs

CHICAGO - Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx today announced the appointment of Eugenia Orr, Ed.D, as Chief of External Affairs, a role that leads the office’s Communications and Community Engagement divisions responsible for building and maintaining relationships with the media and the public.

Dr. Orr, who joined the CCSAO in late October, replaces Cristina Villarreal, who left the office over the summer for a role in the private sector. Orr comes to the County via the City of Chicago, having served as the Director of Public Affairs for the Chicago Department of Housing, where she led efforts to redefine Housing as a stand-alone department after ten years as a bureau within Planning and Development.

“Eugenia’s commitment to engendering relationships through transparent communication with the media and one-on-one engagement will be instrumental as we return to normal operations post-pandemic and beyond,” said State’s Attorney Foxx. “I’m thrilled to have Eugenia join my executive team, where her expertise will increase visual positioning of the work we do on behalf of our residents.”

Prior to joining the Department of Housing, Dr. Orr served in Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot’s press office, where she managed media and external relations, as well as internal communications for ten city departments and sister agencies, including the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), Chicago Park District, Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, Department of Housing, Department of Planning and Development, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, Office of Equity & Racial Justice, Office of Risk Management, World Business Chicago, and Choose Chicago. At the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic, she was tasked to lead the communications and education working group for the City’s Racial Equity Rapid Response Team (RERRT), a special task force created to deliver hyper-local information, education, and resources to Black and Brown communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Through regular round tables and interviews, Orr also led minority and community media relations to ensure that those most impacted by government policy were aware of available programs and services.

Orr holds a Doctor of Education in Ethical Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University, a Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a Chicago Urban League/University of Chicago Booth School of Business 2017 IMPACT Fellow. 

Dr. Orr is a native Chicagoan and a proud Chicago Public School graduate.   

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) is the nation’s second-largest prosecutor’s office and is led by Cook County’s first Black woman State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Foxx brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Cook County, no matter their race, income, or zip code. Foxx has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to intercept the cycles of violence and crime and bringing change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow @SAKimFoxx on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and @CookCountySAO on Twitter and Facebook.