The Cook County Clerk’s Office has received notice from the Cook County Democratic Party that the vacancy in leadership due to the death of Clerk Karen A. Yarbrough will be filled by Chief Deputy Clerk Cedric Giles. Giles will fill the vacancy until a duly elected Clerk is sworn into office on Monday, December 2, 2024, following the November 5 Presidential General Election.
Giles has served as Chief Deputy Clerk since December of 2018 when Yarbrough was sworn in as the first African American and first woman to hold the office of Cook County Clerk. As Chief Deputy, Giles managed the day-to-day operations of the Clerk’s Office, which has more than 350 employees and an annual budget of $75 million. Giles previously held executive-level management positions in the former Cook County Recorder of Deeds Office and the Cook County Comptroller’s Office.
The appointment provides continuity of operations as the Clerk’s Office prepares for the administration of the November Presidential General Election. In addition to managing elections for suburban Cook County, the Clerk’s Office administers Vital Records and maintains and records land records and other official documents for all of Cook County.
Clerk Giles received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Howard University and has an M.S. in Managerial Communications from Northwestern University.
###