Tackling the Chicago Reassessment

Fritz Kaegi is the Cook County Assessor.

Prior to beginning his career in Cook County government, Fritz spent more than 20 years valuing assets as a mutual fund portfolio manager and analyst. In his 13 years at Columbia Wanger Asset Management, Fritz served as a financial steward, helping average families save for retirement and focusing on small companies operating around the world. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Illinois Assessment Officer designations. He is also a member of the IAAO, the International Association of Assessing Officers.

Since assuming office in 2018, Fritz has brought fairness, ethics and transparency to the Cook County Assessor’s Office with a vision focused on operational changes, technological upgrades, and the elimination of favoritism. These changes have increased predictability in the assessment system and spurred investment in Chicago and Cook County.

Fritz was born and raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago and still maintains close ties to the community. He attended Hyde Park’s Kenwood Academy for high school, completed his undergraduate studies at Haverford College, and received his MBA from Stanford University.

In 2020 Fritz received the A. Philip Randolph Change Agent Award from the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum and in 2021 the Adlai Stevenson Award for Public Service from the Chicago chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.

Fritz’s wife Rebecca is a teacher; they live in Oak Park, with their three children, where Fritz is a member of First United Methodist Church of Oak Park.

Jason Tyler is Chief Financial Officer of Northern Trust, a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families, and individuals.

Born and raised in Chicago, Jason attended the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools where he developed a deep commitment to the city of Chicago, as well as independent thinking and leadership. Jason then attended Princeton University, majoring in Politics.

After ten years in banking, at what is now part of JP Morgan, Jason joined Ariel Investments, serving as Senior Vice President, Director of Research Operations and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee.

Jason also returned to the University of Chicago where he earned an MBA. Jason is a Trustee of the University of Chicago, Board Chair at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, a Director of TreeHouse Foods (NYSE:THS), Advance Illinois, Northwestern Memorial Healthcare Foundation, the Becker Friedman Institute, and the Joffrey Ballet where he formerly served as Chairman.

Jason devotes significant time to supporting the city of Chicago, the Lab Schools, and Princeton University. Those passions extend through his family. Both of Jason and Yolanda’s children (Ethan Tyler ’22 and Sydney Tyler ’27) graduated from Lab Schools before attending Princeton.