Gov. Pritzker Announces Four Appointments to Illinois Boards, Commissions and the Lincoln Academy of Illinois

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

EMPLOYMENT SECURITY BOARD OF REVIEW

Elbert Walters III will continue to serve on the Employment Security Board of Review.* Currently,Walters III serves as the Director of Powering Chicago where he promotes the unionized electrical industry. Prior to this position, he was the Business Representative at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local no. 134 and has 20 years of experience as an electrician. Walters is a member of the Chicago Building Trades Council and a Chicago Workforce Board Member. He received a Labor Leadership Program Certification from DePaul University. 

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

Elizabeth Coulson will serve on the Human Rights Commission.* For over fourteen years, Coulson served as the elected State Representative for the 57th and 17th districts. She also was an Associate Professor and Chair of the Physical Therapy Department at Rosalind Frank University of Medicine and Science. Coulson is on the Board of Trustees at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and is a member of the board at Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook. She received the Legislative Award for Equality Illinois, the Paul Simon Public Service Award from the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, and the Legislator of the Year Award from the Illinois Nurses Association. Coulson received her Bachelor of Science from University of Kansas, her Master of Arts from Wellesley College, her Physical Therapy certification from Northwestern University Medical School and her Master of Business Administration from DeVry University's Keller Graduate School of Management.

THE LINCOLN ACADEMY OF ILLINOIS

Lucy Moog will serve as a member of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Moog is a longtime activist and has been involved in politics for three decades. She has led community outreach efforts on four Presidential campaigns, as well as numerous gubernatorial and Congressional races. She has served as the District Director for the 5th Congressional District and also launched the critically acclaimed environmental advocacy campaign and public art project "Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet," which has since exhibited in 13 cities worldwide. Lucy's personal Cool Globe creation was selected among a myriad of finalists to be displayed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Moog serves on the Advisory Committee of Chicago Ideas Week's YOU(th) initiative and is a dedicated volunteer with Personal PAC, the Cool Globes/Know Tomorrow movement and Francis W. Parker Parents' Association. Moog also serves as the Chicago 43rd Ward Democratic Committeeman. Moog studied government and psychology at Connecticut College.
 
Caralynn Nowinski Collens will serve as a member of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Dr. Nowinski Collens is the CEO of Dimension Inx, a next-generation biofabrication company developing regenerative medical implants that repair tissues and organs. Previously, she served as the co-founder of UI LABS, a first-of-its-kind technology organization focused on the digital future of industries. Nowinski Collens spent her early career in venture capital and corporate finance, primarily focused on technology-based university spin-outs. Nowinski Collens is the Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of MxD, Chair-elect of the Board of Imerman Angels, and a member of the Executive Council of Granite Creek Capital Partners. She is a member of the Chicago Chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and recognized as one of Crain's Chicago Business' "Forty Under Forty" and "Tech 50". She earned a Bachelor of Science of Northwestern University and Doctor of Medicine and Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
 
* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.