Gov. Pritzker Announces Three 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:

 ILLINOIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD

 
Teresa Garate will continue to serve on the Illinois Community College Board.* Garate is the current Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement at Gateway Foundation, which runs 14 addiction and substance abuse treatment centers across the state. Previously, Garate served as President and CEO at Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center and Neumann Family Services as well as President of EINO Consulting Group. In addition, Garate served as assistant director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and as chief of staff for the Office of Specialized Services in the Chicago Public Schools system. She is a founding board member of the Kennedy Forum Illinois, sits on the board of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and serves as board chair of Smart Policy Works. Garate earned her B.S. from Loyola University Chicago, and both her M.Ed. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

 
ILLINOIS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

 
Aarti Kotak will serve on the Illinois Housing Development Authority.* Kotak previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Neighborhood Economic Development in the Office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Prior, she served as the Managing Deputy Commissioner of the City of Chicago Bureau of Economic Development, Choice Neighborhoods Director and Associate Counsel of Preservation of Affordable Housing, attorney for DLA Piper LLP (US), General Counsel and Director of Chicago Public Schools Programming for the Chicago NATO Host Committee and adjunct professor at Northwestern University Law School. Kotak earned her B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and J.D. from Stanford University Law School.

 
ILLINOIS STATE BOARD OF HEALTH

 
Damon Arnold will serve on the Illinois State Board of Health.* Arnold currently serves as Medical Director II in the Special Investigations Department of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma & Texas. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the University of Illinois College of Medicine and in the School of Public Health. He completed Residencies in Occupational and Environmental Medicine as well as Internal Medicine. He as the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health from 2007 to 2011, managing an agency of over 1,200 employees and 130 programmatic areas with an annual budget of over $700 million. He received over 70 formal awards and recognitions for his achievements in this capacity. He also served for 26 years in the Army National Guard as the Commander of the Illinois State Joint Task Force Medical Command and as a qualified Blackhawk Helicopter Flight Surgeon. Col. Arnold served two tours of combat duty in Iraq. Among his many military medals and recognitions, he was awarded the highly coveted Legion of Merit medal by President Barack Obama as well as three Army Commendation medals and two National Defense Service medals. Arnold earned his M.D. and an M.P.H from the University of Illinois as well as an M.A. in Homeland and Defense Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School.
 
* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.