President and CEO
Lebed boasts a 40-year career serving in the government, business, and non-profit sectors. For the last 25 years, Lebed has owned and operated The Prairie Group, Inc., where he successfully represented clients in a diverse array of marketplaces, including healthcare, technology, transportation, business solutions, energy and utilities and financial services. Lebed advocates for his clients in cities and counties throughout the State of Illinois and has deep connections with the Illinois Governor’s office, the Illinois General Assembly, the Cook County Board President’s office, and county executive offices throughout.
Lebed’s clients range from private sector clients to Fortune 100 organizations. He is the leading healthcare consultant in Illinois, representing several large hospitals and healthcare systems.
Lebed began his career in 1974 as an intern in state government reporting directly to a State of Illinois Cabinet official. In 1979, Lebed joined the Illinois State Comptroller’s Office and was ultimately appointed Assistant State Comptroller and Director of External Affairs. Lebed then moved to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs working closely with local public officials throughout the State of Illinois.
In 1994, Lebed was appointed Special Assistant to the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners and served as the Cook County Liquor Control Commissioner. Lebed served as the President’s liaison to the Board of Commissioners, suburban mayors, other local government officials, stakeholders, and community organizations throughout Cook County.
Lebed was the Cook County Board President’s chief liaison during the 1995 heat emergency, one of the worst natural disasters in Cook County history. He was later awarded the Certificate of Commendation for Outstanding and Dedicated Service during the heat wave disaster.
At the age of 21, Lebed managed his first state-wide campaign. Since then, Lebed has worked in dozens of winning political campaigns at the local, county, and state levels. Recognizing his skilled political acumen and savvy, Campaigns and Elections Magazine in 2010 gave Lebed its coveted “Best Bare-Knuckled Street Victory Award” at its annual awards banquet in Washington, D.C.
Lebed currently serves on the Board of Directors and is a former Chair of the Cook County Health Foundation. He is a member of the Nominating Committee for Cook County Health and the Little City Foundation, where he served as Board President and was honored as Little City’s “Honorary Mayor.” Lebed is also an active member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).
Recently, Lebed began his master’s program in Urban Studies at the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Established by the United Nations in 1980, the University for Peace is the only UN-affiliated institution authorized to grant master’s and doctoral-level degrees in the fields of peace and conflict studies, human security, and the environment. Lebed also serves on the International Advisory Board for the university.