Prior to his appointment as Commissioner in 2020, since 2011, Matthew Beaudet had served as the City of Chicago Department of Buildings (DOB’s) First Deputy Commissioner, managing the day-to-day operations of the nation’s third-largest local buildings department. In this role, Beaudet modernized the City’s building code and led a number of process innovations over the years to increase productivity and accountability at every level of the Department.

 

As First Deputy, Beaudet had overseen some of Chicago’s largest special and innovative projects in the city, including the $251 million construction of the Malcolm X College campus. He’s also streamlined the permit and inspection process for Chicago’s smallest businesses, effectively reducing the overall time to obtain commercial and residential building permits by 25%. In addition to his work at DOB, Beaudet has served in a wide range of leadership roles in state and local government over the past 20 years, including First Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health and Assistant Director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services. Outside of his roles in City government, Beaudet serves as the Legal Counsel and on the Council of Elders for the Montaukett Tribe of Indians in Long Island, New York, providing pro bono counsel to his Tribe on legal and governance matters since 2001. He also volunteers at Chicago Public Schools.