Zachary W. Jarrell is running for the Naperville Park District Board in the 2025 Naperville Consolidated Election.
Zachary W. Jarrell has a history in Naperville that starts with his great grandfather
I will give you the Goonie’s version…..from the beginning.
- My great grandfather was the cook for the Morton family at the Morton summer house (now the Morton Arboretum). He opened a German restaurant and the building is today the yellow admin building in the Naperville Settlement.
- I was born at Edward Hospital and grew up at 103rd and 59. My parents were pioneers….50 years ago. We were surrounded by sod farms, the nearest grocery store was CeeBees, where the big Starbucks is today. Our pool was the Centennial Beach. I am 5th generation Naperville and I have two new great nephews that are 7th generation.
- I graduated from Waubonsie Valley, I bleed green & gold (it is hard watching my kids at Central). I went on to Bradley University and also studied in Guadalajara Mexico and Seville Spain.
- I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 27 years. Nicole is a preschool teacher at Good Shepherd, previously a teacher at Patterson and Fry Elementary.
- I am a proud father of 4 (3 boys and one princess), all have been committed to the district 203 dual language program. We are big fans of our Parks & Recs – early childhood programming, preschool, T-Ball, flag football, basketball, baseball, soccer, gymnastics, swim lessons, etc.
- I am a finance professional and current VP of Finance North America at Sensormatic Solutions. I am a CPA who began my career at a firm that merged multiple times before becoming McGladrey. Through hundreds of audit and tax engagements I built a strong foundation in financial operations. Now celebrating my 20th anniversary with Sensormatic a division of Johnson Controls, I was part of the team that facilitated the sale of privately held ShopperTrak into the company. Currently, I manage a $250 million budget, focusing on controls, processes, and financial performance—significantly larger than the $50 million budget of the Naperville Park District.
- I am an avid pickleball player, disc golfer, and soccer player, as well as a student of chess. Currently, I am the third ranked ping pong player in my house. I recently completed my 20th year of referee certification.
Jarrell seeks to give back to his community
I recently turned 50 and have spent 30 years in the finance field. As my children grow older and become more independent, I want to set an example for them by showing that running for local government is a great way to get involved. I have always admired our park district, but I believe none of the current board members or new candidates bring the same level of financial expertise and history to the table. This is my opportunity to give back to our great city!
Jarrell’s top priorities are fiscal responsibility, trails and open space preservation, and listening to the residents
I want to be clear—I am not running to fix anything, but rather to continue the excellence that already exists. My focus is on three key areas:
- Fiscally responsible decision-making with taxpayers’ money by ensuring due process, securing the best costs, and maintaining the highest ethical standards.
- Focusing on connected trails and open space preservation to benefit residents of all ages and families.
- Ensuring the voice of residents is heard. Examples of what I heard when getting signatures:
- Developing a more efficient process to register for activities.
- The feasibility of an indoor public pool, as the closure of Edward Fitness and the demolition of the downtown YMCA have reduced local swimming options.
- Securing a cricket pitch for residents, as cricket is currently played throughout Naperville in organized leagues.
- There are many others, I believe a park district survey helps hear the voice.
My goal is to build on the strong foundation of our community and ensure its continued success.
A note from NCTV17
The written content above was submitted by the candidate. The video interview was produced by NCTV17 as part of the Meet the Candidates series. All candidates running for the 2025 Naperville Consolidated Election were interviewed using the same question format.
The placement of this interview on our website does not represent an endorsement of the candidate.
Naperville Community Television is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to creating an informed, connected, and empowered community.