Chris Pozzi has worked for the LaSalle County Health Department since 1992. The past week was her first as its director.
Pozzi replaces Julie Kerestes, who retired after 35 years at the health department. Kerestes had been the director for 21 years. Pozzi says she knows she has big shoes to fill, but she’s filling the role of someone she worked with for a long time and who used to be her supervisor.
She takes the job as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains to be seen whether the strong opinions about how the pandemic should have been handled ebb. Pozzi says the health department aims to provide information people need without being political.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Julie Kerestes had worked for the health department for 29 years.