Our Board
President and Commissioners
The Forest Preserve District is governed by a seven-member board of commissioners, which translates the open-space needs of county residents into ordinances designed to protect and enhance natural areas and support general operations.
DuPage County contains six districts. Voters elect one commissioner from the district in which they live. The seventh member — the president — is elected by the county at large by popular vote.
View our complete organization ordinance.
President Daniel Hebreard
Daniel Hebreard was elected at-large to the Forest Preserve District's Board of Commissioners in 2018.
President Hebreard is a lifelong DuPage County resident. After earning a bachelor’s degree with honors in parks and recreation management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he worked for two local recreation departments before joining the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County as a ranger in 2005. While at the Forest Preserve District he earned a master’s in business administration from Benedictine University.
He and his wife, Donna, have two children and live in Woodridge in a home powered entirely by solar energy. Dan also drives an electric car. He looks forward to bringing more solar-powered amenities to the forest preserves and developing trail connections that will make it easier for residents to access and enjoy the preserves.
District 1 — Commissioner Marsha Murphy
District 2 — Commissioner Tina Tyson-Dunne
Tina Tyson-Dunne was elected to the Forest Preserve District’s board of commissioners in November 2020.
A DuPage forest preserve volunteer and certified master naturalist, Tyson-Dunne is passionate about protecting and preserving DuPage forest preserve land and ensuring opportunities for the community to connect to nature and local history. Her priorities include habitat preservation and restoration work, solar energy opportunities, trail improvements and accessibility to preserves for residents.
Tyson-Dunne studied Illinois' geological history and its flora and fauna, waterways, and prairie restoration to become a certified master naturalist through the University of Illinois extension program. She must complete a number of volunteer and continuing education hours annually to maintain the certification.
Tyson-Dunne has been a volunteer bluebird, frog and dragonfly monitor as well as a special events photographer for the Forest Preserve District.
“Being part of the educational side with volunteer work is the most rewarding,” Tyson-Dunne said. “I am often amazed at how much young kids know from school about conservation, or when a child pulls their parents in to show them something they have learned. I once was that child, and found so much joy in seeing anyone at any age connect with nature and learn something new.”
Tyson-Dunne grew up rescuing wild native wildlife, taking the sick to Willowbrook Wildlife Center for help, and learning when to let nature handle the situation. She has watched history come alive at Mayslake Peabody Estate as the Oak Brook mansion undergoes extensive renovations.
The Lombard resident has an associate in applied science in photography from College of DuPage; a bachelor of arts in film from Columbia College; a master of arts in Irish history, literature and language from National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland; and a master of philosophy in medieval literature, language, history and law from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.
Tyson-Dunne recently completed CERT (community emergency response team) training and enjoys volunteering for events, training courses and assisting local fire and police with their training sessions. She has spent many early mornings volunteering with traffic control at the DuPage COVID-19 testing site.
She’s also a certified payroll technician and has a nature photography certificate from Morton Arboretum, which included numerous plant and tree identification courses.
Tyson-Dunne is chief of staff for State Rep. Deb Conroy, District 46, where she handles constituent services. She was elected chair of the York Township Democratic Organization in 2019 and sits on the executive committee for the Democratic Party of DuPage County. She is a member of the Villa Park Garden Club, Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy, and the Conservation Foundation.
Tyson-Dunne is married to Martin Dunne. She enjoys hiking, snowshoeing (in winter), attending programs and events, and volunteering in the District’s monitoring programs. She has lived in DuPage County her whole life minus the five years she lived in Ireland, where she met her husband. She has lived in Lombard since 1979.
Years of Service
Forest Preserve District Commissioner (Dec. 2020 – present)
District 3 — Commissioner Linda Painter
District 4 — Commissioner Jeff Gahris
Jeff Gahris was elected to the Forest Preserve District board of commissioners in November 2020.
A 30-year resident of DuPage County, Gahris has been an active volunteer for numerous organizations, including the Sierra Club’s River Prairie Group, the DuPage Clean Energy Coalition, Illinois Solar Energy Association, and Citizens Climate Lobby. He worked for state and federal agencies implementing Clean Air Act programs and regulations for 36 years before retiring.
Gahris also served as an environmental commissioner for the village of Glen Ellyn for 12 years, exploring how to best manage parkway trees, refuse and recycling, and helping place bronze statues in various outdoor locations.
His priorities include helping the Forest Preserve District cost-effectively increase its use of renewable energy, preserving and restoring our natural heritage, and providing public access to green space. He’s very excited to see solar panels have been installed at Willowbrook Wildlife Center, and looks forward to the completion of an important segment of the West Branch DuPage River Trail.
An avid solar energy enthusiast, Gahris is also interested in exploring permaculture and the local food economy. One of his favorite volunteer activities is working on native habitat restoration projects at Churchill Woods’ Glacial Ridge area, or with the Glen Ellyn Park District, which includes occasional prairie burns. He’s also interested in the history of Glen Ellyn, and has given public presentations about the introduction of electricity to the area.
Gahris enjoys hiking in DuPage forest preserves. His favorite trails are at West DuPage Woods, Blackwell’s McKee Marsh and St. James Farm. He has enjoyed woodlands since childhood when his family had 7 acres of woods to play in.
He values the Forest Preserve District as a wonderful amenity with some high-quality natural areas. “The District is a precious resource for all DuPage residents to enjoy and appreciate,” he said.
Gahris has a master's degree in environmental science from the Institute of Environmental Sciences at Miami University. He and his wife live in Wheaton.
District 5 — Commissioner Barbara O'Meara
Barbara O’Meara was elected to the Forest Preserve District board of commissioners in November 2020.
She is a licensed environmental health practitioner with a 30-year career in the environmental health division of public health for the state of Illinois. She is an adjunct biology professor at Waubonsee Community College and a Naperville Public Library District board member.
A 20-year resident of DuPage County, O’Meara believes it’s important to bring people with science backgrounds and advanced science degrees to the Forest Preserve District board of commissioners.
“I bring a career in environmental health, a master’s degree in public health, and 12 years as an adjunct professor of biology,” O’Meara said. “I believe you need to elect people to fit the positions, and with a forest preserve position it should always be about preserving, protecting, and progressing.”
She also wants the Forest Preserve District to commit to solar, electric and wind power whenever possible within the preserves.
O’Meara believes climate change is the most important issue facing the Forest Preserve District and the world, and is responsible for an increase in invasive species and a large extinction of species in DuPage County and worldwide.
“We need to acknowledge this and take action because in 5, 10, or 20 years from now it will be too late,” she said.
She also wants to build more “land bridges” and “habitat corridors” to connect DuPage forest preserves and provide safe passage for native wildlife. She said it will also increase native wildlife populations by providing them with safe access to more animals.
She would like to utilize natural products like garlic to reduce the tick population in DuPage forest preserves, especially at the off-leash dog areas.
“By controlling a disease vector the forest preserve becomes more accessible to everyone,” O’Meara said. “Making things as safe as possible is a high priority.”
O’Meara lives in Naperville. She is married and has three children.
