Breadcrumb

Executive Team

  • Tamakia Edwards

    Chief of Staff

    Tamakia Edwards is the Chief of Staff for CDB serving as an assistant to the Executive Director while working closely with the Deputy Director of Operations, Deputy Director of Construction, and the Fiscal Administrator in planning and directing budgetary initiatives through contact with state and federal legislators. Edwards is responsible for the development and implementation of directives, policies, and strategies for the CDB.  

    Edwards spent over a decade with the Federal Government with the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Public Building Services Division. As a key member of the regional leadership team at GSA, Edwards was responsible for leading the vision for long-range planning for the organization’s real property assets by providing recommendations for ongoing projects, major renovations, adaptive reuse of existing assets, and potential new construction.  

    Edwards is a state champion on the improvement of economic community outreach with her participation in Small Business outreach events, bridging the gap between government contracting and the construction market ensuring fair employment opportunities. Edwards is known as a change agent, responsible for creating technical and developmental opportunities. Leading a group of high performing individuals, she is driving CDB’s 10 billion Rebuild Illinois Initiative.

    Edwards achieved her MBA from Northwestern University-Kellogg’s School of Management and has a Bachelor of Science from Illinois Institute of Technology in Architectural Engineering. 


  • Kathryn Martin

    Deputy Director of Operations

    ​Kathryn Martin is responsible for overseeing CDB Operations, including Contracts, Capital Programming, Quality Based Selection, Information Services, Fiscal, Central Files, and Internal Auditing. 

    Martin joined CDB in January 2013 as the Assistant Fiscal Administrator, was promoted to Assistant Deputy Director of Operations in July of 2015, and to her current position of Deputy Director of Operations in February of 2017.
     
    Martin previously worked in the Illinois Governor's Office of Management and Budget as the Capital Budget Manager and CDB's budget analyst from 2010 to 2013. Martin is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Springfield with a Master of Business Administration as well as Graduate Certificates in Business Process Management and IT Project Management from University of Illinois at Springfield, Project Management Certificate from Loyola University, and a Construction Management Certificate from the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign.

  • Amy Romano

    General Counsel & Ethics Officer

    Amy Romano is the General Counsel and Ethics Officer for CDB. Prior to serving in her current role, she served as Deputy General Counsel for CDB for three years.

    Before joining CDB, Romano spent 12 years as an Assistant Attorney General. In this capacity, she represented the State in actions before federal courts, state courts, and administrative tribunals on a wide range of matters including civil prosecutions, civil rights litigation, employment law, personal injury claims, contract law, adoptions, and reviews of administrative decisions.

    Romano ended her career at the Attorney General's Office in a supervisory role, providing guidance on case resolution and reviewing pleadings, briefs, and motions filed on behalf of the State. Romano also served as a Legislative Analyst for the Illinois House of Representatives during the 91st General Assembly, advising House members on a variety of legislation.

    A native of Du Quoin, Amy earned her Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication at the University of Illinois and graduated from the Southern Illinois University School of Law.