Aurora Mayor John Laesch has named three people to new city roles, including a new interim head of Human Resources after the previous officer retired.
Michele Clark, who has served as the city’s director of equity, diversity and inclusion for the past four years, was appointed to be the interim chief human resources officer, the city announced in a news release Monday evening.
City officials said in the release that Clark has an impressive level of experience in HR that helped her rise above a group of other highly-qualified candidates.
“I was most impressed with Michele Clark’s vision for the city’s HR Department, along with her remarkable background and proven leadership skills,” Laesch said in the news release. “I look forward to working with her to build a thriving, mission-driven workforce that will move Aurora forward.”
Former Chief Human Resources Officer Alisia Lewis retired earlier this month after working at the city since 1996, according to a city spokesperson.
She is the latest of many top city officials who have retired or resigned this year, most around the time that Laesch took office in May or since then.
Others who have resigned or retired since around the time Laesch took office include former Chief Management Officer Alex Alexandrou, former Deputy Chiefs of Staff Alex Voigt and Maria Lindsay, former Deputy Mayor Guillermo Trujillo, former Chief Engagement and Equity Officer Clayton Muhammad, former Corporation Counsel Richard Veenstra, former Chief Financial Officer and City Treasurer Chris Minick, former Chief Information Officer Michael Pegues and former Chief Community Services Officer Viviana Ramirez. Former director of Public Works and city engineer Ken Schroth also left the city, but in March.
Current Director of Human Resources Elizabeth Coronado has been serving as the interim chief human resources officer since Lewis retired, and she will continue in the role until Sept. 30, according to the city’s news release. After that, she will continue as director of Human Resources under Clark, officials said in the release.
Before Clark joined the city of Aurora, she worked for 20 years at John Deere, and in that time held roles such as manager of equal employment opportunity compliance, manager of HR global compliance and manager of global diversity and inclusion, the city news release said.
As interim chief human resources officer, Clark will oversee a department of nearly 20 employees with duties including the negotiation of labor contracts, administering workers’ compensation claims, employee recruitment and retention, analysis of employee benefits and more, according to the news release.
“This role is about more than processes — it’s about people,” Clark said in the news release. “My commitment is to cultivate a workplace where staff feel supported, respected and empowered to grow, because when our people thrive, our city thrives. I believe each of us has the power to ‘be the one thing that changes everything.’”
The interim term for the chief human resources officer role is expected to last no longer than six months, according to Aurora Chief of Staff Shannon Cameron. She said that, during this time, the city is focused on finishing its current budget cycle and figuring out next steps for the permanent role.
“In the meantime, we have full confidence in Ms. Clark to lead the department with integrity, professionalism and a continued commitment to excellent service for our employees and residents,” Cameron said in an emailed statement.
In the same news release announcing Clark’s appointment, the city also announced that Brian Caputo was hired to a new role titled “director of fiscal integrity and government operations,” which is within the mayor’s office. Caputo formerly served as the city’s finance director but left for a different job in 2017 after roughly 20 years.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be returning to serve Aurora and its new municipal administration,” Caputo said in the news release. “Given the scope of my responsibilities, I believe that Mayor Laesch has given me the opportunity to make a broad, positive impact.”
In addition to his time at the city of Aurora, Caputo also spent time as the village of Mount Prospect’s finance director, was the vice president of administration and treasurer at the College of DuPage and was for five years the president of that college, according to the city news release.
“Brian Caputo’s past experience as a senior leader and former CFO for the city of Aurora has prepared him to hit the ground running,” Laesch said in the news release. “He is already making an impactful difference in real time as the city navigates the budget challenges ahead.”
Even before he was formerly hired, Caputo was guiding discussions around the city’s budget. Last month, he presented alongside Chief Financial Officer Stacey Peterson about the state of the city’s 2026 budget, which at that time was facing a roughly $30 million deficit.
In his new role, Caputo will lead efforts around financial transparency, accountability and risk mitigation across various departments, including Development Services, Public Works, Public Facilities, Information Technology and Finance, among others, city officials said in the news release. Caputo will also serve as the mayor’s main advisor on departmental fiscal integrity as well as operational risks and efficiencies, the release said.
The final announcement made in the Monday news release was about the hiring of Michele Niermann to the city’s legal department. Officials said in the news release that Niermann is an accomplished employment law attorney with time in both the public and private sector.
In her new role, she will provide day-to-day legal advice and counsel to city staff about employment and labor laws, plus draft and negotiate agreements on behalf of the city, according to the news release.
Niermann most recently was a partner at Klein, Thorpe, and Jenkins, Ltd., the city news release said, but she previously worked for 27 years at the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, including time as its civil division chief.
Her hiring sparked a lengthy discussion about hiring practices amid the city’s budget crisis at an Aurora City Council meeting earlier this month, but none argued she was not qualified for the job. Her hiring was approved, though many aldermen voted against it after many asked the topic be pushed back to later in the budgeting process.
City staff and Laesch argued the hire actually will save the city money in legal fees, as she will be doing a job that would otherwise be given to an outside firm for a higher cost than her salary and benefits.
“Prior to hiring Michele Niermann, the city of Aurora had already spent far outside of its budgeted legal expenses for 2025,” Laesch said in the city news release. “This new position will eliminate the city’s dependency on outside counsel to handle HR-related legal issues. Niermann brings the right level of senior leadership to resolve issues quickly for our HR Department and play a key role in the negotiation of union contracts.”
rsmith@chicagotribune.com