Elected Officials

Vicki Scaman was elected Village President in April 2021. Prior to her election to the top elected post in the community, she was Village Clerk for four years where she was the keeper of official Village Board records and processed requests filed under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and special events permits. In addition, Vicki oversaw the Village Board advisory commissions and served as the liaison to the Citizens Involvement Commission (CIC). Prior to becoming Village Clerk, she was the chair of the Liquor Control Review Board and program coordinator for an Illinois Department of Human Services grant at Oak Park Township. She also was the executive director of a local not-for-profit organization. Vicki has a long history of connecting residents with resources available through partner governmental agencies and community organizations. Her term as Village President will expire in April 2025. To contact President Scaman, call 708.358.5797 or email presidentscaman@oak-park.us.

Susan Buchanan, M.D., M.P.H, was elected to the Village Board in April 2019. Prior to her election, she served as a volunteer on the Village of Oak Park Board of Health. A medical doctor whose career began in family practice, she later became interested in public policy and pivoted to preventive medicine and public health. Susan has spent the last 15 years helping vulnerable workers by improving health and safety on the job, and has become an expert on the health effects of environmental pollutants. Board certified in both family and preventive medicine, she has directed the University of Illinois Chicago’s residency training program in occupational and environmental medicine.  Currently, she is an attending physician and clinical associate professor of occupational and environmental health sciences with UIC’s Health and Hospital System and School of Public Health. She also is the director of the Great Lakes Center for Children’s Environmental Health and a recent past member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee. Her term expires in April 2023. To contact Trustee Buchanan, call 708.358.5791 or email trusteebuchanan@oak-park.us.

Chibuike Enyia was elected Village Trustee in April 2021. The son of Nigerian immigrants who moved to Oak Park in 1990, he grew up influenced by family, hard work and commitment to community, values he carries forth today as a husband, father, mentor and business owner. Chibuike is a graduate of Oak Park River Forest High School, he completed an associate’s degree at Triton College and then earned a Bachelor’s Degree in mass communications from Briar Cliff University in Iowa. He returned to the area and began his professional career, taking positions with AT&T, Motorola and Chicago Public Schools, where he trained and led frontline teams and budgets. He recently formed his own company, Gameday Videos. A husband and father, Chiubuike believes in contributing to the community. He spends time mentoring youth as a volunteer with Young Life, PADS, the Boy Scouts and with the diversity committee at Irving Elementary School. His term expires in April 2025. To contact Trustee Enyia, call 708.358.5796 or email trusteeenyia@oak-park.us.

Ravi Parakkat was elected to the Village Board in April 2021. An Engineer and an MBA with business and board experience, Ravi is an advocate for sustainable development toward a digitally enabled future. He currently serves as the Vice President of Digital Transformation with Junior Achievement of Chicago helping the non-profit embrace digital to help young people succeed in life. In a career in consulting spanning more than 20 years, three continents and several industries notably financial service, energy and utilities and manufacturing, Ravi has worked with industries and organizations during transformative years. Ravi has successfully built and managed large globally distributed teams to solve complex problems. He has also set up and managed profitable multi-million dollar projects and businesses. In 2020 in response to the COVID 19 pandemic Ravi started Takeout 25, a platform to bring the community together and help save local restaurants. Takeout 25 is now a not-for-profit with an expanded mission that includes addressing local food insecurity and sustainability while enabling the economy in innovative ways. He currently serves as its Board President. Ravi also serves on the board of Urban Prairie Waldorf school enabling the school’s sustainable recovery from the pandemic. Prior to his election to the Village board he served as a commissioner on the Oak Park Energy and Environment Commission. Ravi grew up in India, moved to Oak Park in 2006 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2016. He lives in central Oak Park with his wife Amy and two daughters Rowen and Reva. His term expires in April 2025. To contact Trustee Parakkat, call 708.358.5793 or email trusteeparakkat@oak-park.us.

Lucia Robinson was elected Village Trustee in April 2021. A long-time Oak Park resident, Lucia attended Ascension Elementary School and Oak Park and River Forest High School. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and earned a law degree from DePaul University College of Law. While a law student, she served under-privileged communities through the DePaul Legal Clinic and the Women’s Clemency Project. As an attorney, she continues her commitment to marginalized individuals through volunteer work at her church and offering legal advice on a pro-bono basis. Lucia is an attorney with more than 20 years’ experience in the financial industry, with focus on government regulation and creating and implementing ethics and compliance protocols. Since moving with her family to northeast Oak Park 2007, she has served as a Hatch Elementary School parent volunteer and supported OPRF High School art initiatives, including the Spoken Word Poetry program. Her term expires in April 2025. To contact Trustee Robinson, call 708.358.5795 or email trusteerobinson@oak-park.us.

Jim Taglia was appointed to the Village Board in March 2017 to complete the term of former Trustee Adam Salzman, then was elected to a full term in April 2019. Prior to joining the Village Board, Jim was an Oak Park Township Trustee for six years, where he served on the Intergovernmental and Senior Services committees, as well as the Community Mental Health Board. Jim has a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He also has a masters in business administration and is a certified public accountant. A lifelong resident of Oak Park, he attended St. Giles elementary school and is a graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School. His term expires in April 2023.  To contact Trustee Taglia, call 708.358.5794 or email trusteetaglia@oak-park.us.

Arti Walker-Peddakotla was elected to the Village Board in April 2019. Arti is a Senior Product Manager for a nonprofit tech company, a former microbiologist, and a U.S. Army veteran. Arti also advocates for immigrant and refugee rights with Veterans for American Ideals, a project of Human Rights First, and is a Defense Council member of Truman National Security Project. Arti moved to Oak Park in 2008 and lives with her husband, Sunil, and their three children. Her term expires in April 2023. To contact Trustee Walker-Peddakotla, call 708.358.5792 or email trusteewalker-peddakotla@oak-park.us.

Christina Waters was elected Village Clerk in April of 2021. Prior to beginning her four-year term on May 3, 2021, Christina was Deputy Village Clerk. Christina has years of local municipality experience, and her dedication to serving her community dates to when she was a teenager. While working at the Park District of Oak Park, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Robert Morris University, and worked her way up to Facility Scheduling and Parks Coordinator, working with individuals and local organizations, including the Cook County Clerk’s Office during elections, to provide space to meet their needs. She also oversaw the team of facility attendants who worked throughout the community at the seven community centers, three outdoor sport courts and the seasonal Rehm Park Trains. Today, she remains involved on the Park District Citizens Committee. Christina joined Village staff in 2017 as the Executive Secretary in Development Customer Services, where she worked with the Parking, Planning, Neighborhood Services, Permits & Business Licensing divisions. She also worked closely with the Aging in Place Commission, Chamber of Commerce and local business districts associations. After a year and a half, she was promoted to the Human Resources Coordinator. In June 2019, she graduated from the Community Works Leadership Lab through the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation. Born and raised in Oak Park, she attended Longfellow Elementary and Oak Park and River Forest High School. Her term expires in April 2025. To contact Clerk Waters, call 708.358.5672 or email clerkwaters@oak-park.us.