LakeComm Board approves hiring of executive director

WAUKEGAN – On Dec. 18, the Lake Consolidated Emergency Communications Member Board of Directors appointed Jason E. Kern as the LakeComm executive director.

LakeComm, the new consolidated Public Safety Answering Point, is set to become fully operational in 2025. It will provide services to 30 agencies in Lake County. A PSAP is a 911 call center responsible for handling emergency calls for law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, according to news release.

Kern brings more than 30 years of public service experience to the role with a strong background in law enforcement, fire, EMS, emergency management, legislative work, project management, and, most notably, 911 public safety communications.

“On behalf of the LakeComm Member Board, I am very excited to welcome Jason as the founding executive director of LakeComm and as our first official employee,” Kevin Timony, chair of the LakeComm Member Board of Directors and village manager of Vernon Hills, said in the release. ”I am confident that Jason’s many decades of experience in the public safety communications field will help LakeComm complete its transition to the new PSAP in 2025 and best position the agency for future success.”

Kern previously served as the longest-tenured executive director at Southeast Emergency Communications in Crystal Lake, a regional consolidated emergency communications center supporting 12 agencies across more than 100 square miles and 200,000 residents.

Since joining SEECOM in 2015, Kern and his team have achieved significant milestones, including three consecutive accreditations for their emergency medical dispatch program through the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch and three certifications of their training program through the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials. Under his leadership, SEECOM fostered a culture of mentoring, training and quality assurance, improving performance and preparing staff for leadership roles within the ECC and the industry.

“As a long-standing resident of Lake County and an industry professional, I’m excited to be a part of this project and to bring a decade’s worth of vision and collaboration over the finish line,” Kern said in the release.

With Kern assuming his role Jan. 20, LakeComm will focus on launching consolidated operations at the new Regional Operations and Communications Facility in 2025.

Learn more about LakeComm at lakecomm911.org.