About Stella

Stella Black is a real estate professional, designated Appraiser and former township assessor in the Southern Illinois town of Centralia, providing her with the requisite business and analytical experience to help manage the MWRD’s massive engineering projects, enormous budget and extensive landholdings.

As a property tax consultant, Stella has the skill to assess MWRD’s property tax liabilities and articulate how Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) decisions impact taxpayers. As a parent, grandparent, she would also provide a little common sense as well!

As her background indicates, Stella is determined to make a positive difference in helping to improve the quality of our water supply and the conditions of our wetlands, rivers and lakes.

Stella Black previously served the public in elected office, winning the election for the Assessor of Centralia Township by 36 votes. She was re-elected by a landslide. Stella successfully converted the Assessor’s office from a manual operation to a computerized mass appraisal system. She later worked as Manager/Appraiser for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Springfield managing HUD responsibilities outside of Cook County.

Stella also worked as Legislative Assistant for Democratic Illinois State Senator Kenneth Hall in Springfield. She finished her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Illinois – Springfield, writing her master’s thesis on the Environmental Cleanup Recovery Act.

Stella was later recruited by former Cook County Assessor Tom Hynes to serve as a commercial appeals analyst.

As a woman business owner, Stella is involved in the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) whose mission supports women-owned and operated businesses. She serves as NAWBO’s liaison to the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and is Chairwomen of the NAWBO-Chicago PAC, a bipartisan organization that educates, endorses and empowers candidates & elected officials in Illinois, on state, county & city level.

Stella is a member of the Sierra Club and is also on the Advisory Board for the Shedd Aquarium’s B.O.S.S. Council.