Gov. Pritzker Announces Appointments to the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, Authorities, Boards, Commissions, Districts & Systems

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

 
COMMISSION ON DISCRIMINATION AND HATE CRIMES

 
James (Jim) Bennett will serve as Chair of the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Bennett currently serves as the Director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights. He previously served as the Midwest Regional Director at Lambda Legal, the nation's largest legal organization dedicated to securing the full civil rights of the LGBTQ community and people with HIV. During his 12-year career there, Bennett was a lead strategist in Lambda Legal's Illinois and Iowa marriage campaigns and successfully fought Indiana's RFRA and their discriminatory ‘religious refusal' laws. In 2013, he chaired Illinois Unites for Marriage, the statewide coalition that led the successful effort to win marriage equality in Illinois. Prior, Bennett served as Acting Senior External Affairs Director at Howard Brown Health, Marketing and Development Director at the Shriver Center, and several roles at the American Red Cross' national and central Illinois regional offices. He was inducted into the City of Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2013 and was the recipient of Equality Illinois' Freedom award in 2018. Bennet received his Bachelor of Science from Illinois State University and Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
  
Hilda Bahena will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Bahena is currently Department Director of Catholic Charities Legal Assistance Department. Previously, she was Senior Attorney at LAF. Prior, she was Election Central Attorney at Chicago Board of Elections. She earned a Bachelor of Arts with a double major and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law. 
 
Anita Banerji will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Benerji is currently a consultant with Indo-American Center. Previously, she was Director, Democracy Initiative at Forefront. Prior, Banerji worked as an independent consultant and also served in the Illinois Department of Children and Family Service as Legislative Director. Banerji has extensive public policy experience as well and has managed legislative offices. Banerji earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Master of Arts in Communications from DePaul University.
 
Cindy Buys will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Buys currently serves as Law Professor at Southern Illinois University School of Law. Previously, she served as General Attorney, International at the United States Department of Commerce. Prior, she was an attorney at Sher & Blackwell. Buys earned a Bachelor of Science from State University of New York, a Master of Arts in International Relations from Syracuse University and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown Law.
 
David Goldenberg will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Goldenberg is currently Midwest Regional Director at the Anti-Defamation League. Previously, he was Executive Vice-President at Resolute Consulting and prior served as Chief of Staff at the U.S. House of Representatives. He has been recognized for his work with a number of awards Goldenberg earned a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University and Master of Arts from George Mason University. 
 
Julie Justicz will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Justicz is currently the Chief Advancement Officer and Director of Hate Crimes Project at the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. Previously she was an external consultant to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and also served as independent consultant. Justicz has also worked at Health and Disability Advocates, the American Bar Association and AIDS Legal Council of Chicago. Justicz earned a Bachelor of Arts from Emory University and a Juris Doctor from University of Chicago Law School.
 
Andrew Kang will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Kang is currently the Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Chicago. Kang was previously Staff Attorney at the Legislative Reference Bureau where he advised the Illinois General Assembly members on the drafting of legislation. Kang also has experience working as an attorney across large law firms. He recently received the 2019 Community Service Award and the 2019 Vanguard Award from the Korean American Bar Association, as well as the 2018 Thurgood Marshall Award of Excellence from the Association of Corporate Counsel Chicago. Kang is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow. Kang earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Juris Doctor from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
 
Melineh Kano will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Kano is the Executive Director of RefugeeOne. RefugeeOne is the largest resettlement agency in Illinois. Every year, RefugeeOne serves more than 2,500 refugees and immigrants of all ages, ethnic groups, faiths, and backgrounds. Kano earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Rome.
 
Brendan Kelly will serve as a member of the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Kelly currently services as the Director of the Illinois State Police. He previously served as the State's Attorney of St. Clair County and as an Assistant State's Attorney. During his military service as an officer in the United States Navy, Kelly conducted research on Israeli-Palestinian joint police patrols in the Middle East. As an Assistant State's Attorney, he served on the Illinois State Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Council. Kelly received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame Juris Doctor from the St. Louis University School of Law.
 
Seth Limmer will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Limmer is Senior Rabbi at Chicago Sinai Congregation. He was previously Rabbi at Congregation B'nai Yisrael of Armonk. Limmer is the co-chair of the Jenner-Ogden Community Steering Committee. Limmer earned a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University and Master of Arts from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion.
 
Amy Meek will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Meek currently serves as Civil Rights Bureau Chief at the Illinois Attorney General's Office. Previously, she was Senior Counsel at Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. Prior, she was Senior Attorney at ACLU of Illinois. Meek earned a Bachelor of Arts from Swarthmore College and a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School.
 
Mona Noriega will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Noriega previously served as Commissioner on the Commission on Human Rights for the City of Chicago. Noriega was recently a 2020 Comptroller Mendoza's LGBTQ Pride Honoree. Noriega earned a Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern Illinois University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois ay Chicago, and Master of Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 
 
LaDon Reynolds will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Reynolds serves as the Chief of Police at the Village of Oak Park. In his role, Reynolds oversees all operations of the police department. Reynolds has extensive experience serving as guest lecturer and professor in criminal justice. He has received a number of recognitions and is a member of a number of professional organizations and boards. Reynolds earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University.
 
Dilara Sayeed will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Sayeed is currently Founder and CEO of vPeer. Prior, Sayeed was Chief Education Officer at Golden Apple Foundation and prior was Special Assistant on STrategiv Projects to the Chief Administration Officer. Sayeed earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Master's Degree from Northwestern University, a Master's Degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Doctorate Degree from Harvard University. 
 
Karen Tamley will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Tamley is President and CEO of Access Living. Prior to becoming Access Living's CEO, Karen served three Chicago Mayors as Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities. Tamley has also served on numerous non-profit boards, government boards, task forces and advisory committees. Tamley earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California Berkeley.
 
Molly Uhe-Edmonds will serve on the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Uhu-Edmonds currently serves as Director of Student Care at the Illinois State Board of Education. Previously she served as Deputy Director of Education at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Prior, she was Principal at Capital Area Career Center. Uhu-Edmonds earned a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Illinois University and Master of Education from Sam Houston State University.
 
Note that the Commission on Hate Crimes and Discrimination will include 21 members total. Additional members are currently completing the appointment process and will be announced soon.
 

 
Ian Linnabary will continue to serve on the State Board of Elections.* Linnabary is a Partner at Reno & Zahm LLP. Previously, he was Adjunct Professor of Law at Rock Valley Community College. He has extensive volunteer experience and has been recognized with a number of awards throughout his career. Linnabary earned a Bachelor of Arts from University of Illinois at Springfield and a Juris Doctorate from Northern Illinois University College of Law.
 
Catherine McCrory will serve on the State Board of Elections.*  McCrory has been the sole practitioner of her legal practice, the Law Office of Catherine S. McCrory, since 2004. Prior to opening her own practice, McCrory worked as an Assistant State's for Cook County. McCrory earned a dual Bachelor of Arts in History and Psychology from Saint Mary's College and a Juris Doctorate from the John Marshall Law School.
 
Rick Terven Sr. will serve on the State Board of Elections.* Terven is currently a volunteer teacher on construction trades. Previously, he was Executive Vice President of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters, and prior he held the title of Director of Legislative and Political Affairs and Communications/Marketing Departments. Terven was also Executive Director of the Illinois Pipe Trades Association. Terven is a veteran of the United States Army.
 
Casandra Watson will continue to serve on the State Board of Elections.* Watson is currently an Administrative Law Judge at the Cook County Department of Administrative Hearings and the City of Chicago Department of Administrative Hearings. She has extensive legal experience in government and has served as the chair of suburban municipal electoral boards and as an Examiner on the Chicago Board of Election. Watson earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law.

 
AMUSEMENT RIDE AND ATTRACTION SAFETY BOARD

 
David Bennett will continue to serve on the Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Board.* Bennet is Equity Partner at Pretzel & Stouffer, Chartered. He is civically involved, including volunteering at the legal aid clinic at Willow Creek Community Church's Care Center. He is also an active public speaker, speaking at industry events on risk management to prevent accidents. Bennet earned a Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University and a Juris Doctorate from Illinois Institute of Technology - Chicago Kent College of Law. 
 
Weston Sparks will continue to serve on the Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Board.* Sparks is currently the Unit Manager at North American Midway Entertainment. In his role, Sparks is responsible for all operations of portable amusement rides. Prior, he was Manager at Central Illinois Amusements. Sparks graduated from Lincoln Community High School.
 
Daniel Schwabe will continue to serve on the Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Board.* Schwabe has worked at Six Flags Great America for over 42 years. 

 
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHCARE AND FAMILY SERVICES

 
Jenny Aguirre will serve as Assistant Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Aguirre previously served as Administrator at the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Previously, she served as State Refugee Health Coordinator at the Department of Public Health, Centerer for Minority Health Services. Prior, she was Director of Provider Services at Hispanic Physicians Network. Aguirre earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration from St. Xavier University. 

 
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

 
Salvatore (Sam) Tornatore will serve on the Housing Development Authority.* Tornatore is Owner and Lawyer of Tornatore Law Office. Tornatore has received a number of awards in recognition of his career and work. Tornatore earned an undergraduate degree from DePaul University and a Juris Doctorate from the John Marshall Law School.

 
LOTTERY CONTROL BOARD

 
Alex Garza will serve on Lottery Control Board.* Garza is President and Founder of AGG Consulting, Inc. Previously, she was a Consultant at Pivot Global Partners and prior served as Interim President and CEO at Insitituto del Progreso Latino. Garza has extensive business experience and is a member of a number of boards. Garza earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.
 

 
Charlene Aaron will serve on the Mid-Illinois Medical District.* Aaron has practiced as a nurse for over forty-three years, and currently serves as  Chancellor of Hospital Sisters Health System St. John's College. Previously, she was Director of Teaching Nursing Home Project at Illinois State University Mennonite College of Nursing. Prior to her work in nurse education and training, Aaron served as the Director of Nursing for Evenglow Lodge, Fairview Haven and Good Samaritan Home. Aaron earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing from Methodist School of Nursing, and a Doctorate in Nursing from University of Iowa.
 
Egbe Egiebor will serve on the Mid-Illinois Medical District.* Egiebor serves as Director and Assistant Professor of the Environmental Health Program at the University of Illinois Springfield Department of Public Health. Prior to teaching, Egiebor was a Public Health Assessor for the Virginia Department of Health. Egiebor earned her Bachelors and Masters from Tuskegee University and her Doctorate from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. 
 
Aaron Gurnsey will serve on the Mid-Illinois Medical District.* Gurnsey is a Business Manager and Financial Secretary at Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 137. Previously. He was Plumber and Pipe Fitter at E.L. Pruitt Co. Gurnsey earned a Bachelors degree from Illinois State University.
 
John Stremsterfer will serve on the Mid-Illinois Medical District.* Stremsterfer  currently serves as President and CEO of Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln. Previously, he was Director of Major Gift Development at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Prior, he served as Director of Institutional Advancement at Ursuline Academy. Stremsterfer earned a Bachelor of Arts from Illinois College. 

 
PROPERTY TAX APPEAL BOARD

 
Robert Steffen will continue to serve on the Property Tax Appeal Board.* Steffen is currently a practicing attorney as his firm, Steffen Law, P.C. Previously. Steffen was Judge at the Illinois Court of Claims at the State of Illinois. Prior, he was Assistant State's Attorney at Kane County State's Attorney's Office. Steffen earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and a Juris Doctorate from John Marshall Law School.

 
RACING BOARD

 
Lydia Gray will serve on the Racing Board.* Gray is currently a Staff Veterinarian and Research and Medical Director at SmartPak. Previously, she was the Executive Director of Hooved Animal Humane Society. Prior, she was Director of Owner Education at the American Association of Equine Practitioners. She has been recognized with a significant number of awards and honors throughout her career. Gray earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 
SPORTS FACILITIES AUTHORITY

 
Tarrah Cooper Wright will serve on the Sports Facilities Authority.* Cooper Wright is CEO and Partner at Rise Strategy Group, a strategic communications and public affairs firm that advises corporate, startup, nonprofit advocacy and foundation clients. Formerly, Cooper Wright was the Managing Director at Mercury, where she was responsible for business development and strategic communications., Cooper Wright also has extensive experience in political communications, serving as Press Secretary for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and for President Obama in the   U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where she helped to manage the department's messaging, priorities, and actions for numerous national incidents. Cooper Wright began her career as a general assignment reporter at KOMU-NBC 8 in Columbia, Missouri. She received her Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

 
TEACHERS' RETIREMENT SYSTEM

 
Mia Jazo-Harris will serve on the Teachers' Retirement System.* Jazo-Harris has served as a Public Affairs Specialist for State Farm for over fifteen years. Previously, she worked in public affairs for the Sate of Illinois at both  the Capital Development Board and the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Jazo-Harris earned a Bachelor of Arts from Truman State University.

 
TORTURE INQUIRY AND RELIEF COMMISSION

 
Steven Block will serve on the Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission.* Block is currently Partner at Thompson Hine LLP. Previously, Block was Assistant State's Attorney at the Cook County State's Attorney. Prior, he was Assistant U.S. Attorney at the United States Attorney's Office. Block earned a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctor from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. 
 
Vanessa del Valle will serve on the Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission.* Del Valle is currently Clinical Assistant Professor of MacArthur Justice Center, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Previously, she was Judicial Law Clerk at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She has been recognized and received a number of honors and awards for her work. Del Valle earned a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.
 
* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.