CHICAGO (TIP): Dr. Suresh Reddy, immediate past president of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), has won Tuesday’s (April 6) election as a Trustee of Oak Brook, a small Illinois town of nearly 10,000 people.

Dr. Reddy and his teammates, Laurence “Larry” Herman and James P. Nagle won all three positions for trustees being contested by six candidates in the election.

The trio accumulated “the three highest unofficial vote totals with 100% of precincts reporting in the election for three four-year terms on the Village Board,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

Dr. Reddy said he decided to run with Herman and Nagle because he believes the three of them can address the most critical issues impacting the village better than anyone else, each with their own unique skills.

“I am grateful to the citizens of my hometown Oak Brook and to the key leaders of Oak Brook, including the sitting mayor and members of the governing body of Oak Brook for endorsing and supporting my candidacy to be a Trustee of Oak Brook,” Reddy said.

“As a practicing physician, I will use my training and experiences to ensure that appropriate and effective health policies are approved by the board and implemented by our village staff,” he said. “There are many expert doctors and medical professionals in our community. I will find ways to engage them through informal work groups or more formal committees if needed to ensure the safety of our residents.”

Oak Brook Mayor Dr. Gopal Lalmalani and Trustee Moin Saiyed of Oak Brook had endorsed his candidacy saying his leadership skills will benefit the residents of the suburban town in Illinois.

Oak Brook’s neighbors include the communities of Villa Park, Elmhurst, Lombard, Oak Brook Terrace, Westchester, Westmont, Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, and Hinsdale.

Dr. Reddy, who grew up in the suburbs of Hyderabad, Telengana, India, is a financial conservative, who always had a passion for “uniting and bringing people together,” according to a media release.

“It all started during my childhood with bringing neighborhood kids together to play ‘gully cricket’ and also bringing people together in college to organize events, demonstrations, and educational tours,” he says.

“Bringing opposing parties to the table for resolving issues has always been my strength since my schooling days.”

Not being satisfied with his achievements as a physician and leader of the Diaspora Physicians group, Dr. Reddy says, “I always had a strong passion for bringing a positive outlook and giving back to the community.

“I got involved in several alumni activities and have facilitated to raise funds to build a million dollar alumni educational center for my Alma Mater.”

Dr. Reddy completed his advanced medical training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School and has stayed on Harvard Faculty for more than a decade.

After serving as Chief of Interventional Neuroradiology at Harvard, Dr. Reddy moved to the Chicago suburb. “Now that I call Oak Brook my home, I would like to contribute and serve my community by participating in public service,” he says.

“My mantra is: If you don’t lead, someone else will lead you,” says Dr. Reddy on what motivates him to take on yet another challenging role for the betterment of the community.

“If you don’t pick the right leader, the wrong leader will pick you, and as my good friend US Congressman Raja (Krishnamoorthi) says, and if you are not on the table, you will be on the menu,” he adds.

As part of his community service, Dr. Reddy has facilitated and organized numerous health camps and workshops, with special emphasis on CPR training, obesity prevention in conjunction with Chicago Medical Society.

During the Covid pandemic, he facilitated more than a 100 webinars and health awareness events. He also facilitated honoring of more than 10,000 nurses who work selflessly in the line of duty against Covid in over 100 hospitals in over 40 states including Alaska.

His wife Leela, who was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina was previously a Director of Network Health Boston, a HMO Health Plan in Boston.

Their son, Rohun is currently doing his MBA and JD at Kellogg School of Management and Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University.