Gov. Pritzker Announces 10 Appointments to State Boards

Building on a strong team of diverse experts in their fields, Governor JB Pritzker announced the following appointments in his administration:

 
AMUSEMENT RIDE AND ATTRACTION SAFETY BOARD

 
Patricia Sullivan will continue to serve on the Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Board.* Sullivan currently serves as President and CEO of Eli Bridge Company. Previously, she was the plant manager at Otterbacher Manufacturing, the Director of Quality, Engineering, and Purchasing at Midwest Control Products, and the Director of Human Resources and Quality Assurance at Midwest Patterns. Sullivan is the former President of the Amusement Industry Manufacturers and Suppliers Board, Woodhaven Hospice Board and Elm City Rehabilitation Center. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from Western Illinois University.

 
ILLINOIS EMPLOYMENT SECURITY ADVISORY BOARD

 
Rick Terven will continue to serve on the Illinois Employment Security Advisory Board.* Terven currently works as the Legislative and Political Director of the Illinois Pipe Trades Association, representing 30,000 plumbers, pipe fitters and sprinkler fitters across Illinois. Terven, a member of Chicago Pipe Fitters Association Local 597, also serves as a Vice-President of the Illinois AFL-CIO. Terven has served as an employee representative on the Employment Security Advisory Board since 2016. He earned his Bachelor of Art in Labor Studies from the National Labor College.

 
QUALITY CARE BOARD

 
Jae Jin Pak will serve on the Quality Care Board.* Pak currently serves as Self Advocacy and Community Education Training Coordinator for the University of Illinois at Chicago and as a Project Specialist for the Illinois Self Advocacy Alliance. Previously, Pak worked as a project coordinator for the International Organization for Adolescents, a communication outreach coordinator for the University of Illinois at Chicago Asian Disabilities Outreach Project and a prevention specialist for the Community Counseling Centers of Chicago. Pak serves on the Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois and the Illinois Imagines Chicago Team. He has previously served on the Board of Directors for Korean American Community Services, the Leadership Center for Asian Pacific Americans and the Illinois Caucus on Adolescent Health. Pak earned his Bachelor of Science in Human and Family Resources from Northern Illinois University and took part in the University of Illinois at Chicago's Illinois LEND Fellowship in 2014.

 
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION TASK FORCE
 

Jesse Ruiz will serve as Chair of the School Construction Task Force. Ruiz is the Deputy Governor for Education in Governor JB Pritzker's administration, overseeing the state's education system from early childhood through higher education. Prior to joining the administration, Ruiz served as a partner in the Corporate & Securities Group of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP and a Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He previously served as President of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners, Commissioner on the Public Building Commission, Vice President of the Chicago Board of Education, Interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, Commissioner on the U.S. Department of Education Equity and Excellence Commission, Commissioner on the Illinois Supreme Court Character and Fitness Committee, and Commissioner on the Chicago Public Schools Desegregation Monitoring Commission. Ruiz earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School.
 
Daniel Booth will serve on the School Construction Task Force. Booth currently serves as Superintendent at Carbondale Elementary School District 95. Previously, Booth worked as a principal, assistant principal, dean of students, health and driver education teacher and assistant boys' basketball and track coach for more than 12 years at Carbondale Community High School. He earned an undergraduate degree in health education, his master's in educational administration and specialist certification from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
 
Jeff Dosier will serve on the School Construction Task Force. Dosier has been the Superintendent of Belleville Township High School District 201 for eight years. Previously, he was Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations in District 201 and held the positions of Assistant Superintendent, Principal and Teacher in Belleville Elementary School District 118. Dosier serves as President of the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce. In the past, he has served on the Board of Trustees for McKendree University and as a Representative of District 201 for the St. Clair County Career and Technical Education System. Dosier earned his bachelor's degree in education from McKendree University, a master's degree in education administration from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from St. Louis University.
 
Joe Neri will serve on the School Construction Task Force. Neri is Chief Executive Officer of IFF, one of the nation's largest and highest-rated, non-depository, diversified Community Development Financial Institutions. He created IFF's Real Estate and Research business, created Home First, a housing development corporation for persons with disabilities, co-founded a nationally recognized community development corporation and led municipal economic development efforts. Neri is Chair of the Board for Acción Chicago and serves on the Community Advisory Committee for U.S. Bank. He holds a Master's in City Planning from the University of California Berkeley and a Bachelor's in Urban Affairs from Grinnell College.
 
Michael Riordan will serve on the School Construction Task Force. Riordan taught in Illinois high schools for 29 years. He began his career as a science teacher at his alma mater, Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, before transitioning to Oak Lawn Community High School District 229, where he has worked as a teacher, coach, and administrator since 1992.  Riordan is currently in his twelfth year as Superintendent at District 229.
 
Genevra Walters will serve on the School Construction Task Force. For the past 27 years, Walters has served Kankakee School District 111 as a school social worker, administrator and currently as superintendent. She earned both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois-Chicago. In addition, Walters earned her Education Certification from Illinois State University in Research and Teacher Education and her Superintendent's Certification from Western Illinois University.

 
WORKERS' COMPENSATION ADVISORY BOARD

 
Jill Kastner will serve on the Workers' Compensation Advisory Board.* Kastner is currently a partner at Hennessy and Roach. She previously worked as an Associate Attorney at Adelson, Testan, Brundo and Jimenez as well as Power and Cronin. In addition, Kastner worked in the DuPage County Public Defender's Office and the Rock Island County State's Attorney's Office. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from North Central College and her Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School.
 
* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.