Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas will speak next week at a global forum in Spain to government officials across the globe.

Pappas is speaking in Seville at the invitation of Universidad Loyola Andalucia, a sister university to Loyola University in Chicago, and the City of Seville. She will speak on Tuesday, at the opening of the combined First Urban Forum of Spain and the Third Global Forum of Local Governments.

The topic of the joint forum is “Cities and Territories in Social and Economic Recovery.” Also speaking at the forum are Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Andalucia Governor Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla and Seville Mayor Juan Espadas.

"I'm grateful to the City of Seville and Loyola Universidad for their invitation," Pappas said. "My presentation will explain how I used technology to make my office far more convenient, efficient, transparent and less costly over the past two decades. Officials from 87 countries have visited my office to learn how one of the most efficient digital government systems in the United States operates."

"Those improvements also allowed me to expand the office's mission to produce a series of studies on the property tax system and launch the Black and Latino Houses Matter program," Pappas added. During the pandemic, Black and Latino Houses Matter has returned more than $110 million to neighborhoods and municipalities with majority Black and Latino populations.

Treasurer Pappas also has a series of meetings scheduled with Spanish and other European officials — including property tax authorities at the local, regional and national level — to exchange ideas on best practices in government operations, with a focus on efficiency, transparency and social equity.

"We are delighted to receive the visit of Maria Pappas, treasurer of Cook County," Mayor Espadas said, noting his intent to conduct exchange and cooperation programs the Treasurer’s Office.

Gabriel Pérez Alcalá, president of Universidad Loyola, noted a decade long relationship with Loyola University Chicago, saying those efforts have led to a strong relationship between Andalucia and Cook County.