The Village of Oswego Public Works director and Village engineer, Jennifer Hughes, recently received a national award as a Top Ten Public Works Leader from the American Public Works Association (APWA). The prestigious award recognizes career service to the public works profession, as well as work ethic and dedication to service in the community and APWA.
Hughes has worked for the Village for nearly 10 years planning and managing infrastructure projects, overseeing the Village’s wells and watermains, and providing essential services, including waste collection and road maintenance. She leads a team of 27 that is dedicated to plowing roads in winter snowstorms, removing downed tree branches after severe weather, and filling potholes in the heat of summer.
“Jennifer is truly deserving of this award,” Village president Ryan Kauffman said. “As a growing community, Oswego must balance maintenance of its current infrastructure, ongoing growth, and keeping an eye to the future. Jennifer has done that through her entire time with the Village, ensuring we can meet the needs of future generations of Oswegoans.”
Some highlights of Hughes’ outstanding work include leading the creation of a master plan for widening Wolfs Crossing and overseeing the start of the project, managing a multi-year plan to bring Lake Michigan water to the Village, and overseeing downtown improvements that facilitated recent redevelopment. Hughes has also been instrumental in securing significant grant funding for the Village, including $8 million for Wolfs Crossing. In addition, her role in helping to build the new police headquarters in 2018 assisted in the project earning a national APWA award.
Hughes was graduated from the University of Notre Dame and spent the first part of her career working for the Indiana Department of Transportation leading highway design projects. After a brief stint working in the private sector, she went to work for the Village of Lincolnshire in 1997. She was later named the first female Public Works Director for Lincolnshire, joining a select group of women in the Chicago area public works industry to hold this role.
She continues to serve as a role model and mentor to others in the industry and is highly respected by her peers and co-workers. She has been active on committees and local branch and chapter functions of APWA, including serving as Chapter president in 2016.
— Village of Oswego