Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has tapped Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Forrest Claypool as his next chief of staff.

Claypool, who twice served as chief of staff under former Mayor Richard M. Daley, will replace Lisa Schrader, who announced earlier this month that she is leaving the post after serving as Emanuel's chief of staff for about two years.

Claypool's replacement at the CTA has not yet been named.

"I've known Forrest Claypool for 35 years. He has an unparalleled record of reform, accountability and leadership in city and county government," Emanuel said in a statement. "That's why one of the first calls I made during my transition in 2011 was to Forrest to ask him to lead the CTA. He is a world-class manager and, under him, the CTA has never run better."

In a release announcing the appointment, Emanuel touted Claypool's handling of the reconstruction project to revamp the CTA Red Line's southern branch.

"We did four years of work in just five months. . . . It is the longest stretch of track that has ever been shut down and rebuilt from the dirt up at one time," the mayor noted.

"That accomplishment shows a rare ability which Forrest has to be laser-focused on the six inches ahead of him while still having the strategic vision to look miles down the road," Emanuel added. "That vision and focus is what I need as we prepare to tackle the biggest fiscal crisis in Chicago history."

Claypool, who served as Chicago Park District superintendent in the 1990s, will step into the chief of staff role after the mayoral inauguration.