Commissioner Samantha Steele

Samantha Steele is a certified Level III Assessor/Appraiser who brings more than 15 years’ experience in the field of property valuations to her role as Commissioner for the Second District on the Cook County Board of Review.

Commissioner Steele has worked with assessors throughout the United States to establish best practices for residential and commercial property tax assessments and appeal analyses, as well as for business personal property in a variety of assignments.

Commissioner Steele previously served as a County Assessor in the state of Indiana, where she was the first Democrat elected county-wide in more than 30 years. In this role she implemented the use of innovative regression models to settle a backlog of property tax appeals en masse, addressed appeals at the Indiana Board of Tax Review, and taught extensively on assessment topics. She was also responsible for commercial and industrial assessments during the state’s General Reassessment, developed procedures to address contaminated properties, and served on the Lake County Property Tax Board of Appeals.

Commissioner Steele serves as a managing member of the Leanor Group, a woman-owned business founded to serve the specialized needs of local assessment governments. She has been an active member of the International Association of Assessing Professionals (IAAO) since 2007, having served as a member of their professional development committee presenting dynamic courses on valuations for conferences. She has also served as an Assessment Administration Specialist (AAS) candidate, and played an integral role on the Cook County Assessor’s 2019 transition team.

Commissioner Steele attended both Purdue University and the Kent Institute of Art & Design, and has served as licensed real estate broker in Illinois and Indiana. She received her Real Estate and Fee Appraiser certifications from the Real Estate Certification Program (RECP). A native of Bridgeport, she now resides in Evanston with her family.

Commissioner Steele looks forward to applying her years of professional experience to ensure a more fair and accurate property tax system for the residents of Cook County.