About

Jennifer Muraski
Successful Former Small Business Owner and Current Community Leader dedicated to the enrichment and sustainability of Winnebago County and its residents.
A life-long resident of Rockford with an unparalleled drive for providing compassionate guidance to families during times of loss and grief.
27-year Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer in the states of Illinois and Wisconsin, graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science with a Mortuary Science Degree. Currently serving as Director of Operations for the Winnebago County Coroner’s Office.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Director of Operations, Winnebago County Coroner’s Office
2022 - present
Currently responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations.
Owner/Adept Funeral Staffing Solutions, Inc., Rockford, IL
2019 - 2022
Owner and operator of premier funeral staffing provider in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, serving funeral homes in and around the greater Rockford area and its surrounding communities.
Owner/Muraski Monument Co., Rockford, IL
2011 - 2021
Successful, locally-owned family business providing grave markers, monuments, civic memorials, and monument design.
Olson Funeral & Cremation Services, Ltd., Rockford, IL
1996 - 2016
Managing Funeral Director/Licensed Pre-Planning Advisor, Winnebago and DeKalb Counties
2008 - 2016
- Provided leadership and guidance to 15 full- and part-time employees, in five different locations within Winnebago and DeKalb Counties.
- Accountable for operating revenue and profit/loss oversight.
- Managed employee life-cycle process, which included: attraction, recruitment, onboarding, development, retention, and separation.
Funeral Director/Embalmer
1997 -2 016
- Managed daily operations, staffing, scheduling as well as the coordination and execution of funeral services with staff and families.
- Implemented and facilitated multiple bereavement support groups for children and adults.
- Conducted roundtables to accomplish best practices between funeral professionals and hospice workers.
Funeral Director/Embalmer Apprentice
1996 - 1997
EDUCATION
39 hours of Funeral Directing and Embalming Continuing Education during each biennial license renewal period
1997- present
Online Training: Documenting The Death Scene: Murder, Accident, Suicide
February 2022
Online Training: Understanding The Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office Responsibilities in Death Investigations
November 2021
Mass Casualty Management Training
2003
Mortuary Science Degree, 1996; Worsham College of Mortuary Science
- Recipient of Worsham’s Past President’s Award
- Served Practicum at Cook County Morgue – Chicago, IL
Rock Valley College – prerequisite studies
Rockford University – prerequisite studies
Guilford High School Graduate
COMMITMENT to COMMUNITY
Safer Citizens, Winnebago County
- Executive Director
2022 - Present
Winnebago County Health Department
- Executive Committee Member
2022 - present - Board Secretary
2022 - present - Board Member
2021 - present
- February – March 2021
- January 2022
Winnebago County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate)
Winnebago County CASA trains community volunteers to represent abused or neglected children proceeding through the juvenile Abuse/Neglect Court. CASA’s ultimate goal is to find a safe, permanent home for every child. Our mission is to assist the Court in seeking the best interests of abused and neglected children through court-appointed volunteer advocacy.
- Immediate Past Chair
2021 - present - Board Chair
2019 - 2021 - Executive Committee Chair
2019 - 2021 - HR Committee Chair
2019 - 2021 - Board Vice-Chair
2018 - 2019 - Recruitment and Retention Committee Chair
2018 - present - Board Secretary
2017 - 2018 - Fund Development Committee Co-Chair
2017 - present - Co-Founder of Winnebago County CASA’s Advocates’ Club
2017 - present - Board Member
2016 - present
Santa’s for All (formally Santa’s for Solitary Seniors)
Committee Member 2017
Volunteered at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office during the heatwave of 1995, which claimed the lives of over 700 Chicago residents.
AFFILIATIONS
Past President of Business Networking International (BNI), Profit Professionals Chapter
Business Networking International (BNI) Ambassador 2017
Cremation Association of North America, National Funeral Directors Association, Selected Independent Funeral Homes, Illinois Funeral Directors Association, Rockford Network of Professional Women