Q&A with Elliot Karl

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you currently do for work. 

My name is Elliot Karl and I was a GFOA intern in the Spring and Summer of 2019 while completing my masters program at the UChicago Harris School of Public Policy. I currently live in Rogers Park and enjoy biking, painting, and spending time in the best place on earth: Chicago/Cook County. Currently, I work as an Assistant Deputy Bureau Chief at the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development (BED). In my role, I oversee the Bureau's operations and administration including executive coordination, human resources (staffing, development, compliance, culture), resource management (supplies, facilities, logistics), information technology (systems, hardware, support) and operational strategic planning / standard operating procedure.

Did you always think you wanted to work in economic development? 

I always knew that I wanted to work in government and have a public service career but have taken my time experimenting with different roles, service areas, and levels of government. I started out as a City Hall Fellow working in capital transportation finance, but became passionate about improving the ways that technology and resource planning can drive (or constrain) government impact. Within various government roles and the internship experience at GFOA, I learned more broadly about public sector operations and sought opportunities to lead internal teams which facilitate the implementation of essential public services and programs. I have been excited to learn as much as I have on the job, having recently passed my three year anniversary (July 2025) at the County. Every day, I wake up excited to meet challenges with staff from “the place where we are at” to drive at ambitious goals, using agile and iterative methods.

How did the GFOA internship contribute to your professional development? What skills or experiences did you gain that have stayed with you?

The GFOA internship provided me an opportunity to pursue specific research questions that I was interested in: the effective maintenance of fund balance in local general funds and equitable community engagement design for capital planning purposes. It was incredible to work and learn alongside GFOA staff who brought such diverse government (and quasi-government) perspectives. My highlights from my time at GFOA include being featured in the June 2021 GFR and meeting Jake Kowalski (Senior Consultant), who’s become a close friend and colleague.

Has your perspective on local government changed since you were an intern? If so, how? 

I had worked in local government for many years prior to my GFOA internship. However, my perspective has changed dramatically as I have learned within my leadership position. Specifically, I am now very attentive to the impact and limits of precedent. Earlier in my career, I would ask questions such as “why can’t we just xyz – it seems so simple and easy!” With a 10,000 foot view, I am now very careful to consider strategic adjustment and unintended consequences of policy and standard process as they are applied at scale and over time.

What early-career skills or lessons have been most valuable to you in your work today? 

The most valuable skills for my work today include persuasive writing, effective presentation development, stakeholder power-mapping, and applied data analysis (here I refer to using small operational data sets to experiment with various implementation choices and scaling those which work). 

As for lessons, I think there is one lesson that is more important than others: your relationships matter. In the public sector, our success is a collective project and the relationships we build are lasting – you never know if someone who reports to you today will become your manager tomorrow, a current colleague could become an important external collaborator – or adversary! It is always worthwhile to invest in getting to know people personally, understanding stakeholder perspectives and interests, and trying to respond to those.

If you could go back, is there anything you would have done differently in the early stages of your career? 

I love this question. If I could go back, I would have cared far less about my career and focused more on gathering the interesting/unique work experiences that I now find difficult to prioritize. When you are early in your career, we (potential hiring managers) anticipate that entry-level employees will have diverse, entry-level experience. There is plenty of time to specialize; please use any opportunity to try something that may not fit neatly into a 10-year plan.

Looking ahead, where do you see yourself going next in your career?

I have my dream job today: I get to invest in public employees who have great impact under visionary, supportive, and human leadership. I look forward to taking on more complex projects, working across more teams within the County, adopting emergent technology within the public sector, and deepening my investment in Cook County residents, businesses, and communities.