Governor's Staff & Transition Team
Governor JB Pritzker's Executive Staff
Governor JB Pritzker's Executive Staff
Anne Caprara
Chief of Staff- Campaign Manager, JB Pritzker for Governor (Mar 2017 – Nov 2018)
- Priorities USA, Senior Advisor & Executive Director (Jun 2015 – Mar 2017)
- Vice President, Campaigns, EMILY's List (Feb 2015 – May 2015)
- Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Political Director (May 2011 – Dec 2014)
- Chief of Staff, Congresswoman Betsy Markey, Colorado 4th District (Jan 2009 – Jan 2011)
Dan Hynes
Deputy Governor- Deputy Governor oversight to include budget, revenue, and economic development issues
- Senior Adviser, JB Pritzker for Governor Transition Team (Nov 2018 – Dec 2018)
- Senior Executive, UBS Asset Management
- Illinois Comptroller (1999 - 2011)
Christian Mitchell
Deputy Governor- Deputy Governor oversight to include infrastructure-related issues
- Senior Adviser, JB Pritzker for Governor Transition Team (Nov 2018 – Dec 2018)
- Illinois State Representative (D) 26th District (2013 - 2019)
- Executive Director Illinois Democratic Party (2018 - 2019)
- Former cabinet staffer to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
- Former campaign aide to Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Alderman Will Burns (4th Ward)
Jesse Ruiz
Deputy Governor- Deputy Governor oversight to include education-related issues
- Counsel, JB Pritzker for Governor Transition Team (Nov 2018 – Dec 2018)
- Partner in the Corporate & Securities Group of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
- President of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners
- Former Vice President of the Chicago Board of Education and Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education
Sol Flores
Deputy Governor- Deputy Governor oversight to include human service agencies
- Founder & Executive Director of La Casa Norte (2002 - Present)
- Board of Directors, Latino Policy Forum
- Member of the City of Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals
Nikki Budzinski
Senior Adviser- Director, JB Pritzker for Governor Transition Team (Nov 2018 – Dec 2018)
- Senior Adviser, JB Pritzker for Governor (Jan 2017 - Nov 2018)
- Labor Outreach Director, Hillary for America (May 2015 - Nov 2016)
- Associate Director of Political Action, United Food and Commercial Workers Unions (May 2008 - May 2015)
Ann Spillane
General Counsel- Chief of Staff, Illinois Attorney General (Jan 2003 – Dec 2018)
Alexis Sturm
Director, Office of Management & Budget- Director (cash management and bond reporting), Illinois Comptroller (2017 - 2018)
- Chief of Staff and Deputy Director (debt, capital, and revenue), Governor's Office of Management and Budget (2015 - 2017)
- Director of research and fiscal reporting, and senior fiscal adviser, Illinois Comptrollers Dan Hynes, Judy Baar Topinka and Leslie Munger (2004 - 2015)
Tiffany Newbern-Johnson
Deputy Chief of Staff, Legislative Affairs- Deputy Director of Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (2016-2018)
- Former Assistant Counsel to House Speaker Michael Madigan
- Former Counsel at the City of Chicago Law Department’s Buildings and License Division
Sean Rapelyea
Deputy Chief of Staff, External Affairs- Deputy Director, JB Pritzker for Governor Transition Team (Nov 2018 – Dec 2018)
- Political Director, JB Pritzker for Governor (Apr 2017 – Nov 2018)
- Illinois Political Director, Hillary for America (Jul 2016 – Nov 2016)
- Deputy Director of Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (May 2011 – Jul 2016)
Emily Bittner
Deputy Chief of Staff, Communications- Chief of Strategy, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Dec 2017 – Dec 2018)
- Director of Communications, Chicago Public Schools (May 2015 - Dec 2017)
- Director of Communications, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (Jan 2013 - Dec 2014)
Jordan Abudayyeh
Press Secretary- Press Secretary, JB Pritzker for Governor Transition Team (Nov 2018 – Dec 2018)
- Press Secretary, JB Pritzker for Governor (Mar 2017 – Nov 2018)
- Former political reporter and anchor for various television news affiliates
Ramon Gardenhire
Deputy Chief of Staff, Policy- Vice President of Policy for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (2014 - 2019)
- Director of Government Relations for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (2011 - 2013)
- Prior experience includes work for SEIU Healthcare Illinois-Indiana, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, and the Federation for Community Schools
Pat Collier
Deputy Chief of Staff, Federal Affairs- Policy Director, JB Pritzker for Governor (Apr 2017 - Nov 2018)
- Director of Government Affairs at Center for American Progress (Jun 2014 - Apr 2017)
- Counsel and Policy Adviser at the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Center (Mar 2010 - May 2014)
Gabriel Levine
Personal Aide "body man"- Personal Aide and Advance Lead, JB Pritzker for Governor (Jul 2017 - Nov 2018)
- Advance Associate, Hillary for America (Sep 2016 - Nov 2016)
- Intern, United States Senator Tim Kaine (May 2015 - Jan 2016)
Governor JB Pritzker's Executive Transition Team
Governor JB Pritzker's Executive Transition Team
Juliana Stratton
Lieutenant Governor- Executive Chair, JB Pritzker for Governor Transition Team (Nov 2018 – Dec 2018)
- Illinois State Representative (D) 100th District (2017 - 2018)
- Founder and President of JDS Mediation Services, Inc.
- Director of the Center for Public Safety and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago
Nikki Budzinski
Senior Adviser- Director, JB Pritzker for Governor Transition Team (Nov 2018 – Dec 2018)
- Senior Adviser, JB Pritzker for Governor (Jan 2017 - Nov 2018)
- Labor Outreach Director, Hillary for America (May 2015 - Nov 2016)
- Associate Director of Political Action, United Food and Commercial Workers Unions (May 2008 - May 2015)
Sean Rapelyea
Deputy Chief of Staff, External Affairs- Deputy Director, JB Pritzker for Governor Transition Team (Nov 2018 – Dec 2018)
- Political Director, JB Pritzker for Governor (Apr 2017 – Nov 2018)
- Illinois Political Director, Hillary for America (Jul 2016 – Nov 2016)
- Deputy Director of Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (May 2011 – Jul 2016)
Michael Carrigan
Gov. Pritzker Transition Exec. Committee Member- President of the Illinois AFL-CIO (Feb 2007 - Present)
- Secretary-Treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO (2000 - 2006)
- Financial Secretary for IBEW Local 146, Decatur (1992 - 2000)
- Former Chairman of the AFL-CIO Midwest Labor Federation Council
Jim Edgar
Gov. Pritzker Transition Exec. Committee Member- Illinois Governor (1991 - 1999)
- Illinois Secretary of State (1981 - 1991)
- Illinois State Representative (1977 - 1979)
Sol Flores
Gov. Pritzker Transition Exec. Committee Member- Founder & Executive Director of La Casa Norte (2002 - Present)
- Board of Directors, Latino Policy Forum
- Member of the City of Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals
Barbara Bowman
Gov. Pritzker Transition Exec. Committee Member- Co-founder of the Erikson Institute (1966)
- Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development
- Former chief officer for early childhood education for the Chicago Public Schools
Martin Nesbitt
Gov. Pritzker Transition Exec. Committee Member- Co-CEO of the Vistria Group, LLC
- Former officer for Pritzker Realty Group, L.P.
- Treasurer of President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns
State Agency Director Appointments
State Agency Director Appointments
Erin Guthrie
Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity- Regional General Manager for Uber Midwest (Mar 2017 - Jan 2019)
- Client Engagement and Portfolio Manager at McKinsey and Company (Aug 2013 - Feb 2017)
- Product Manager for Amazon Marketplace (2012)
David Harris
Department of Revenue- Illinois State Representative (R) 53rd District (1983 - 1993 & 2011 - 2019, Revenue Committee Minority Spokesperson)
- Adjutant General (Commanding General) of the Illinois National Guard (1999 - 2003)
- Senior Vice President of the Illinois Hospital Association (1993 - 1999)
John Sullivan
Department of Agriculture- Illinois State Senator (D) 47th District (2003 - 2016, Agriculture Committee Chair)
- Auction and real estate business owner
Alicia Tate-Nadeau
Emergency Management Agency- Executive Director, Chicago Office of Emergency Management (May 2016 - Jan 2019)
- Assistant Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard (Feb 2015 - Apr 2017)
- Team Leader, Region V Incident Team for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Jan 2015 - May 2016)
- National Guard Bureau (Jan 2010 - Dec 2014)
Janel Forde
Central Management Services- Chief Operating Officer, City of Chicago (May 2016 - Jan 2019)
- Chief Operating Officer, Illinois State Board of Education (Oct 2015 - May 2016)
- Deputy Commissioner, City of Chicago Division of Fleet and Facility Management (Dec 2011 - Oct 2015)
- Director, Chicago Public Schools Office of CEO (Nov 2009 - Dec 2011)
Theresa Eagleson
Department of Healthcare and Family Services- Executive Director, University of Illinois Office of Medicaid Innovation (Dec 2014 - Jan 2019)
- Founding Board Member, National Association of Medicaid Directors (2010 - Dec 2014)
- Medicaid Division, Department of Healthcare and Family Services (Jan 2000 - Dec 2014)
Heidi Mueller
Department of Juvenile Justice- Director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (2016 - Jan 2019)
- Prior Director of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission
Matt Perez
State Fire Marshal- Illinois State Fire Marshal (Apr 2015 - Jan 2019)
- Fire Marshal, City of Aurora (Jul 1987- Mar 2015)
John Kim
Environmental Protection Agency- Assistant Legal Counsel to Chief Legal Counsel, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (1994 - Jan. 2019);
- Assistant Attorney General in Office of Illinois Attorney General (1990 - 1994)
Jim Bennett
Department of Human Rights- Senior Consultant, Fair and Equal PAC & Illinois LGBT ‘Get out the Vote’ 2018 Initiative
- Regional Director to Chief Development Officer, Lambda Legal (Jul 2006 - Jan 2018)
Michael Kleinik
Department of Labor- Executive Director, Medical Cannabis Alliance of Illinois (Jan 2018 - Jan 2019)
- Executive Director, Chicago Laborers’ District Council’s Labor-Management Cooperation Committee (May 2008 - Feb 2018)
- Chief of Staff, Illinois Department of Labor (Apr 2004 - May 2008)
Brendan Kelly
Illinois State Police- St. Clair County State's Attorney (2010 - Jan 2019)
- Democratic Candidate, 12th U.S. Congressional District General Election (Nov 2018)
- President of the Illinois State's Attorneys Association (Dec 2015 - Dec 2016)
Ngozi Ezike, MD
Department of Public Health- Medical Director at the Juvenile Detention Center of Cook County (through Jan 2019)
- Prior experience as Lead Physician at Austin Health Center of Cook County
- 15 years of total experience with Cook County Health and Hospital System
Linda Chapa LaVia
Department of Veterans' Affairs- Illinois State Representative (D) 83rd District (2003 - 2019)
- Illinois National Guard until 1997
- Commissioned officer in the U.S. Army until 1993
Marc Smith
Department of Children and Family Services- Executive Vice President of Foster Care and Intact Services at Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness (2009 - Mar 2019)
- Child Welfare Division Manager of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (2004 - 2009)
- Public Service Administrator for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (1993 - 2000)
Grace Hou
Department of Human Services- President, Woods Fund of Chicago (Feb 2012 - Feb 2019)
- Assistant Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services (Jun 2003 - Jan 2012)
- Executive Director, Chinese Mutual Aid Association (Apr 1998 - May 2003)
Colleen Callahan
Department of Natural Resources- President, Callahan Consultancy (Jan 2017 - Feb 2019)
- Illinois State Director, USDA Rural Development (Jul 2009 - Dec 2016)
- Agribusiness Director, WGFA Radio (2003 - 2010)
- Agribusiness Director, WMBD Radio-TV (1973 - 2003)
Deborah Hagan
Department of Financial and Professional Regulation- Division Chief, Illinois Attorney General Division of Consumer Protection (2004 - Feb 2019)
- Prior experience in the Office of Illinois Attorney General since 1983 includes service as Bureau Chief, Deputy Bureau Chief, and Assistant Attorney General
Mario Treto, Jr.
IDFPR, Division of Real Estate- Deputy City Attorney, Evanston (Jul 2018 - Feb 2019)
- Assistant City Attorney, Evanston (Dec 2013 - Jul 2018)
- Associate Attorney, Tristan and Cervantes (Nov 2012 - Dec 2013)
Francisco Menchaca
IDFPR, Division of Financial Institutions- Division Director, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Division of Financial Institutions (Jul 2013 - Present)
- Credit Union Supervisor, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Oct 2012 - Jul 2013)
- Prior experience includes service at the Federal Deposit Insurance Company and as First Vice President at Bank One
Jessica Baer
IDFPR, Division of Professional Regulation- Division Director, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Division of Professional Regulation (Sep 2016 - Present)
- General Counsel, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (Mar 2015 - Oct 2016)
- Associate Attorney, K&L Gates (Sep 2008 - Mar 2015)
Omer Osman
Department of Transportation- Deputy Secretary, Illinois Department of Transportation the Office of Project Implementation
- Prior experience in the Illinois Department of Transportation since 1989 includes service as Director of Highways, Deputy Director of Region 5 and District Four Project Implementation, and Operations Engineer
Paula Basta
Department of Aging- Director of Senior Services and Health Initiatives, Chicago Housing Authority (Apr 2018 - March 2019)
- Regional Director, Chicago Department of Family and Support Senior Services (Mar 2000 - Apr 2018)
- Executive Director, Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (Jan 1996 - Mar 2000)
Ron Guerrier
Department of Innovation and Technology- Chief Information Officer, Express Scripts (Apr 2018 - Feb 2019)
- Chief Information Officer, Farmers Insurance (Dec 2015 - Apr 2018)
- IT Manager to Chief Information Officer, Toyota North America (Apr 2004 - Dec 2015)
Robert Muriel
Department of Insurance- Member, A&G Law LLC (Jan 2017 - Mar 2019)
- Managing Member, Muriel Law Office LLC (Jan 2005 - Dec 2016)
- Partner, Nery & Muriel LLC (Apr 2003 - Dec 2004)
- Senior Associate, Ungaretti & Harris LLP (Aug 2000 - Mar 2003)
- Associate, Hinshaw & Culbertson (Sep 1996 - Aug 2000)
Rob Jeffreys
Department of Corrections- Chief of Staff, Regional Director, Bureau Chief, Warden, Counsel, and Researcher for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (Feb 1995 - May 2019)
- National Prison Security Program Coordinator for the National Institute of Corrections (2007 - 2010)