Elizabeth Kubal is making history in the city of Kankakee.

For the very first time in its 171-year history, the city will have its first city manager with Kubal taking on the inaugural role. Having worked for the city for over a decade as comptroller, overseeing accounting tasks and financial reporting under several administrations, Kubal was appointed to her new role in July by Mayor Chris Curtis and the Kankakee City Council.

“The mayor keeps saying ‘We’re going to multiply efforts,’” Kubal said of the city continuing on a path of growth and efficiency. This was the catalyst for creating the city manager position, the duties of which have historically fallen under the mayor’s purview.

“All of the mayors I’ve worked for have done a fabulous job, but it’s a lot,” Kubal said.

She’ll continue overseeing the budget as well as union negotiations. Kubal said that the financial requirements of the city manager position made her “a natural fit” due to her previous role of comptroller.

She noted that the financial strength of the city continues to grow and has seen three years of growth both financially and economically. She credits Curtis and Economic and Community Development Agency Executive Director Barbi Brewer-Watson as being assets to this growth.

Following Kubal’s appointment on July 1, Curtis described her as “the perfect fit” for city manager.

<strong>COMPTROLLER TO MANAGER</strong>

The transition of roles means that Kubal will be more involved in the operations of the city and will be the first point of contact for a department head who is experiencing an issue. With this, she said, her job is making sure that the department heads (of which Kankakee has a total of 14 departments between the city and the Environmental Services Utility) have the resources they need to do their jobs.

She’s looking forward to having “a lot more opportunities for initiatives to provide continuity between departments.”

When it came to her reaction of taking on this first-ever role, Kubal put it simply: “I’m just so honored that it was me.”

As for what she’s excited about within the new position, it’s all the possibility that lies ahead for the city, whether internally at city departments or externally through projects like the riverwalk.

“I look forward to working with the mayor and all department heads and city council to achieve continuance of [the city’s] goals and grow and move even faster,” she said.

<strong>JOURNEY TO KANKAKEE COUNTY</strong>

Kubal grew up in Decatur, where she attended MacArthur High School prior to attending Millikin University, where she would obtain her Bachelor of Science in accounting. She said she would joke that the university was closer to her family home than her high school.

Her mother was the secretary to the president of Millikin and children of employees could partake in a free tuition program, which Kubal and her family agreed was too good an opportunity to pass up. However, in order to get the full college experience, her parents did allow for her to live on campus.

Her journey to Kankakee County sprung from a tale as old as time: Her then-fiance-now-husband, Joe, had taken a teaching and coaching job at Momence High School in 1999, and Kubal joined her husband to live in Bourbonnais after they married in December of 2001.

Having no family in the area, Elizabeth and Joe had to build a support system of friends.

“Those Momence friends are really special to Joe and I for sure,” she said of the friends made in her husband’s early teaching days.

The Kubals have continued expanding their social circle over the years, something that Elizabeth said was imperative to helping them raise their three sons, Ben, 18; Andrew, 16; and Jacob, 12.

“We have no family in the area, so we’ve also had to develop really precious relationships with other people and sometimes you have to ask for help. You can’t do it all,” she said.

Though it’s impossible to do it all, Kubal does quite a bit and then some.

When asked how she’s able to manage her time with a family, career and community involvement, she said it comes down to being flexible.

“As women, we have to become very savvy in figuring out all the details of everyday life,” she said. “Sometimes what savvy looks like one day looks different the next day. Remain flexible and savvy.”

<strong>COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT</strong>

When not working, Kubal can likely be found supporting her sons’ activities, volunteering or surrounded by other people.

“I’m very driven and fulfilled by being with people,” she said.

Sons, Ben and Andrew, attend Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School while son, Jacob, attends St. Paul’s Lutheran School — where Kubal gives her time as a cross country coach — and are involved in sports and band. Elizabeth and Joe spend a lot of time at school events and activities. With the affiliated church, St. Paul’s Lutheran, Elizabeth is on the endowment committee as well as the parish fellowship committee.

Her resume of volunteer work is vast and expands from her hometown to the town that’s now home. In July, she was named to the Board of Trustees at Millikin University. She’s also on: the audit committee and foundation at Riverside Medical Center; the investment committee at the Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley (where she’s been on the board for nine years and served as president for four); Police Pension Board for the City of Kankakee; and the Board of Directors at Municipal Bank and Trust.

In the past, she’s volunteered with mentoring programs through Kankakee High School and Kankakee Area Career Center.

“I believe one of the most fulfilling things you can do is get involved in your community,” she said, noting it’s important to try and say ‘yes’ when you can, as you never know where that next relationship can come from or what passion might spark.

Even if one feels too busy or is hesitant to take the leap into community involvement, Kubal urges “just try.”

“I believe it’s what makes living and working in your community [special] is getting involved,” she said.

Now her new role is allowing her to expand that involvement on a professional level.

“I’m just excited to serve in this new capacity to work with the internal staff here and to be able to deliver services to our residents,” Kubal said.

<em>This article first appeared in Lifestyles of Kankakee County. For more information, go to</em> <a href="https://www.daily-journal.com/lifestyles" target="_blank">daily-journal.com/lifestyles</a><em>.</em>