The Aurora City Council has approved the appointment of three top city leaders, all of whom had been serving as interims in their respective roles. The city saw the departure of many of its top leaders in 2025, particularly after the swearing-in of John Laesch as mayor after he won the election over incumbent Richard Irvin. City departments that have seen a change in upper leadership since the start of 2025 include Police, Fire, Community Services, Public Works, Finance, Law, Human Resources and Information Technology. On Tuesday, Michele Clark was approved as the city’s next chief human resources officer, Theodore Van De Sampel was approved as the city’s next emergency management coordinator and Josue Alcaraz was approved as the city’s next director of property standards. The appointments were voted on as a part of the Aurora City Council meeting’s consent agenda, which is typically reserved for routine or non-controversial items that are all approved with a single vote. The former chief human resources officer, Alisia Lewis, retired in September after working at the city since 1996. Later that month, Laesch appointed Clark — who had been serving as the director of equity, diversity and inclusion — to the roll as an interim. “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 a city news release announcing her permanent appointment to the role. “I look forward to continuing to work with her to build a thriving, mission-driven workforce that will move Aurora forward.” According to that news release, Clark’s experience in human resources helped her rise above a group of highly-qualified candidates for the position. 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 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 city’s 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.” The former coordinator of the Aurora Emergency Management Agency, Natalie Wiza, left in October and is now Naperville’s emergency manager. Theodore Van De Sampel, who was the agency’s training and exercise specialist, became the interim coordinator at that time, according to the city’s news release. “I am proud and excited to be given this opportunity,” Van De Sampel said of his recent permanent appointment. “I will remain committed to the city of Aurora, my emergency management team and our amazing volunteers.” Before starting with the city in early 2024, Van De Sampel spent 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. In that time, he held various positions including logistics and operations supervisor at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, emergency management planning and supervisor at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois and the emergency management director at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea, city officials said in the news release. Van De Sampel received various medals during his time in the Air Force and has been certified in a number of different trainings offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the news release. “Theo’s experience here with the city and in the Air Force has greatly prepared him to succeed in this role,” Laesch said in the city news release. “His commitment to resilience and operations management will help the city maintain continuity in the face of any crisis.” Now the permanent head of Aurora’s Emergency Management Agency, Van De Sampel will oversee three employees along with a vast volunteer network that spans the city, the news release said. The former director of property standards was Ruthy Harris, who a city spokesperson has said was let go due to a reorganization within the division. Alcaraz was the assistant director of property standards before he took over as interim director in October, according to the city’s news release. “I am honored and excited to be named the city’s new director of Property Standards,” Alcaraz said of his recent permanent appointment. “I am looking forward to leading our team, and helping to keep our neighborhoods safe.” Alcaraz first started with the city in 2009 as a facilities security worker, and since then he has risen through the ranks — holding positions such as account clerk, quality of life inspector and property maintenance compliance officer — before shifting to administrative roles in 2021, the city news release said. He is a certified American Association of Code Enforcement Property Maintenance and Housing Inspector, city officials said. Plus, Alcaraz also has served as a firefighter and as a code enforcement officer for the village of Sugar Grove, according to the news release. “Josue has been a great asset to the city for a number of years,” Laesch said in the city news release. “His experience in both code enforcement and management makes him a great choice to lead our Property Standards team.” Now permanently appointed to the director position, Alcaraz will oversee a group of 15 employees who help enforce codes to ensure that neighborhoods and rental homes stay safe, city officials said in the news release. [email protected] ...read more read less