Oak Forest Hires Former Wood Dale Community Development Director

OAK FOREST, IL — The City of Oak Forest has approved the hire of a new economic and community development director who will start Monday, officials said.

Edmond Cage has previously served multiple communities around the state including Wood Dale, Park Ridge, Homer Glen and Carpentersville.

He will leave Wood Dale after over six years as the city's community development director to start at Oak Forest on Dec. 20.

"We are very excited to welcome Ed to our team," said City Administrator Tim Kristin in a statement. "I believe his energy, creativity, intelligence, and strong people skills make him ideal for this role."

During Cage's time in Wood Dale, Kristin said, he helped to bring big name corporations to the city's landscape such as Amazon, Starbucks and Nippon Express.

His background as a certified real estate broker contributed to an increase in building and development applications along with a new commercial occupancy program, according to Wood Dale's website.

Cage is native to England where he got his bachelor's degree in town planning from the University of Westminster and later received his master's degree in urban planning from the University of Illinois in Chicago.