John Nelson
Chief Operations Officer
As Chief Operations Officer, John Nelson oversees four departments including Facilities, Golf, Grounds Maintenance and Public Safety.
Nelson earned two bachelor’s degrees at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. One is in civil engineering with an emphasis in environmental and hydrosystems engineering and the other in life sciences with an emphasis in ecology, ethology and evolution.
He joined the District in 2007. Prior to his current role, he worked more than 16 years in various positions, including Project Engineer, District Engineer, Engineering Manager and Director of Operations & Infrastructure.
Before the Lake County Forest Preserves, Nelson worked as a civil engineer for the Village of Schaumburg and a private engineering consulting firm.
Nelson is a licensed Professional Engineer in Illinois, a member of the American Public Works Association and the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials.
He enjoys hiking, biking, fishing and sledding with his family. He likes to let others know there are opportunities to enjoy the preserves during every season.
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