Joliet appoints new planning director from existing staff

The city of Joliet announced Wednesday that Jayne Bernhard has been promoted to the position of planning director.

Bernhard, a planner employed by the city since 2017, has taken on many of the duties of planning director since James Torri retired from the position in November.

She is a Joliet-area native who grew up in Jackson Township and graduated from Joliet Central High School. She now lives in the Cathedral Area neighborhood of Joliet.

“I love Joliet, and I am very excited to serve in this new role,” Bernhard said in a city news release announcing her promotion. “I am backed by an excellent team in the Planning Division who care deeply about this community.”

Bernhard has been active in the city beyond her duties in the planning department, which include serving as the city liaison to the Historic Preservation Commission. She serves on the board of the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

“Jayne brings an extraordinary blend of expertise in planning, grant writing and historic preservation, along with a deep personal connection to our city,” City Manager Beth Beatty said in the release. “Her work has already made a lasting impact in Joliet, and we’re confident her leadership will help shape a more vibrant, inclusive and sustainable future for our community.”

As planning director, Bernhard will oversee both short-term and long-term planning initiatives.

Bernhard will lead projects in which she already has had a chief role, including the Joliet Comprehensive Plan, the Interstate 80 Des Plaines River Bridge Community Plan, and implementation of the Downtown Joliet Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Plan.

Her involvement in historic preservation projects has included the Joliet Area African American Historic Context Study and nominations of downtown Joliet and the Old Joliet Prison to the National Register of Historic Places.

The city noted that Bernhard was chiefly responsible for writing the $3 million grant that is supporting the development of a new city square downtown.

Bernhard previously worked at the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

She was the primary author of the Pioneer Valley Regional Housing Plan, which earned the American Planning Association Massachusetts Chapter Comprehensive Planning Award in 2013, when she also was named by that organization as Young Planner of the Year.

Bernhard holds a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and dual master’s degrees in history and regional planning from the University of Massachusetts.