Leadership Council
| AMY C. STOCKWELL |
Amy C. Stockwell is the Auditor of Macon County. She received an MBA in
accounting from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School and a BA
in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan Univeristy. In previous employment, she
was a Principal at Analytech Association (market research and business
consulting) and worked for A.E. Staley Mfg. Co. as the Director of
Marketing, Food Ingredients. She has a lifelong devotion to the
Democratic Party and believes that “everybody counts, everybody matters,
everyone deserves to be treated with respect.”
Amy is a graduate of the IWIL program, Class of 2003. |
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| BETH SPENCER |
Beth is the former Communications Director for the Illinois AFL-CIO – the
umbrella organization for the state’s one million union members. She
worked closely with Labor leaders, union communicators, the Labor press
and general press across the state to make sure Labor issues are well
covered and correctly reported. Beth is also involved with political
and legislative efforts that affect working families and has worked on
political campaigns at the grassroots level since her college days. Beth
has a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri
School of Journalism in Columbia. Prior to working with the state
AFL-CIO, she managed a marketing-public relations firm and worked in
broadcast media. She has nearly 30 years experience in marketing,
public relations, writing, editing, and media production. Beth also
serves on the Decatur Area Convention and Visitors Bureau board and is
active with the Decatur Area Arts Council. |
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| BOBBIE L. STEELE |
Honorable Bobbie Steele began her career of public office in 1986 when
she was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Steele has
co-sponsored Cook County's Human Rights and Ethics Ordinances and has
led the charge to re-open Provident Hospital in 1993. She also led the
charge to name the new county hospital “John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital
of Cook County” and the CORE Center to “The Ruth M. Rothstein CORE
Center.” Presently, Steele is the longest serving African American
woman on the Cook County Board and the longest serving in the history
of Cook County. She is the first and only African American to serve as
Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Forest Preserve District of
Cook County. Steele is also the Chairman of the Department of
Corrections, Education and Contract Compliance Committee. She is the
Past President of National Association of Black County Officials
(NABCo) and Chairs the Deferred Compensation Advisory Committee for the
National Association of Counties. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Link Shore Links and National Council of Negro Women.
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| CAROL RONEN |
Honorable Carol Ronen represents the 9th Legislative District in the
Illinois State Senate. Prior to becoming state senator, she served in
the Illinois House of Representative since 1992. In 1996 she was
appointed the first Chair of the House Committee on Children and
Youth. She is the Democratic State Central Committeewoman for the 9th
Congressional District. Carol is a very active member of the Jewish
community, sitting on the Governing Council of the American Jewish
Congress, Midwest Region and belonging to the Chicago Chapter of
Hadassah and the Government Affairs Committee of the Jewish Federation
of Chicago. She is a founder and member of the executive board of
Women’s Voices. Women’s Votes. |
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| CAROLYN BROWN HODGE |
Carolyn Brown Hodge is the Director of Rural Affairs for Lieutenant
Governor Pat Quinn. She was formerly Community Liaison for Secretary
of State Jesse White in fifteen East-Central Illinois Counties. Carolyn
has a long history with the Democratic party; serving as the President
of the Illinois Democratic Women from 1997 until June, 2003; as a
member of the Illinois Electoral College in 1996 and 2000, and as a
speaker at forums on behalf of Democratic politicians. She has a long
and impressive history as a devoted activist in organizations aimed at
promoting the social and cultural life of communities throughout East-
Central Illinois. Additionally, she has done fundraising for several
community organizations; including: the Edgar County Historical
Society, the Kiwanis Early Risers, the United Way of Paris, and the
Paris YMCA. |
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| DAWN CLARK NETSCH |
Honorable Dawn Clark Netsch is currently a professor emeritus at the
Northwestern University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum
laude in 1952 and has been a member of the faculty since 1966. In 1994
she won a four way primary to become the first female Democratic
candidate for the Governor of Illinois. Prior to that election, she
was the first woman to be elected to a State Constitutional Executive
Office in Illinois when she won the position of Comptroller in 1990.
She was an elected delegate to the 1970 Illinois Constitutional
Convention and state senator from 1973 to 1991 representing the 4th
Legislative District. While in the Senate, she chaired the Senate
Revenue Committee and co-chaired the Illinois Economic and Fiscal
Commission. She also served on the Appropriations, Executive,
Education, and Judiciary Committees.
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| JACKIE GALLAGHER |
Jackie Gallagher was appointed chairman of the Illinois Labor Relations
Board in November 2003. She was the legislative and political action
consultant for the Chicago Teachers Union from November 2001 through
October 2003. Prior to that position, she was the union’s
communications director beginning in January 1991. A co-founder of
Women’s Voices-Women’s Votes, she has served on WV’s executive board
since 1994. Jackie was a consultant to Speaker Michael Madigan from
1981 to 91. She was finance director for the 1986 Stevenson for
Governor campaign and a fund-raiser for the Paul Simon for Senate race
in 1984. She has been active in independent Democratic politics since
the JFK campaign of 1960 and is a longtime advocate for women in
politics. |
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| JAN SCHAKOWSKY |
Honorable Jan Schakowsky was elected to represent Illinois’ 9th
Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives in
1998. Prior to her position there, she represented Illinois’ 18th
District in the Illinois General Assembly where she chaired the Labor
and Commerce Committee and served on the Human Service Appropriations,
Health Care, and the Electric Deregulation Committee, as well as the
Democratic Floor Leader and as Secretary of the Conference of Women
Legislators. Schakowsky is on the Midwest Governing Council of the
Jewish Congress and is a member of the Labor Union UNITE! group. |
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| LINDA CHAPA LAVIA |
Honorable Linda Chapa LaVia (D-83rd) was born and raised in Aurora,
Illinois. She was the first in her family to complete college, earning
her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She
is in her first term as a member of the Illinois General Assembly.
Linda was a cadet in ROTC, completing basic training in 1988 and
serving as a commissioned officer in the US Army until 1993. She
continued her service in the National Guard until 1998 and is currently
on Inactive Ready Reserve.She is also a licensed real estate broker and
a local business owner. Linda is active in the Greater Aurora Chamber
of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Tri County Board of
Realtors and the YWCA, currently serving on its board of directors.
She takes an active role in Aurora's "Weed & Seed" Program and
continues to work with her family on God's Gym. Linda also connects
high school students with mentors through the Tomcats Searching for
Tomcats program. Linda and her husband, Vernon, have two daughters,
Veronica, 5 and Jacqueline, 2. |
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| LINDA RAE SHER |
Linda Rae Sher is an active member of the Jewish community, working in
both philanthropic and political organizations. She is a co-founder of
the Democratic Senatorial Women’s Council and serves as a director of
the DCCC’s Women Lead. In 1980 she established the Joint Action
Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC), and she now serves as
Director of Special Projects and President of the JAC Education
Foundation. In addition, Ms. Sher has been a member of the Executive
Committee and National Council of the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee. She has served on the finance committees of many
Congressional campaigns, and she works with a variety of organizations
including the Government Affairs Committee of the Chicago Jewish
Federation and the National Commission of the Anti-Defamation League. |
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| LISA MADIGAN |
Lisa Madigan is the first woman in Illinois history to serve as
Attorney General. Prior to her election, she was the Illinois State
Senator for the 17th Legislative District. She served as the
Democratic Spokesperson for the Senate Education Committee and as a
member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Prior to her work in
the State Senate, she worked as a lawyer at the law firm of Sachnoff &
Weaver LTD. Previously,she was the Assistant Dean for Adult/Continuing
Education at Wilbur Wright College, where she established Wright's
Senior Academy for Lifelong Learning and oversaw Wright's Family
College. |
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| MARGARET A. HOULIHAN SMITH |
Margaret Houlihan currently serves Director of Intergovernmental
Relations for United Airlines. Previously she served as Deputy Chief
of Staff for Intergovernmental Affairs in the office of Governor Rod
Blagojevich. Prior to her appointment by the Governor, she served as
the Chicago Director for United States Senator Richard J. Durbin, where
her duties included managing Chicago Staff operations, serving as a
liaison to federal Regional Administrators and District Directors, and
coordinating with Washington, D.C. staff on all Chicago area issues.
Prior to her position in Senator Durbin’s office, she worked as the
Political Director/Deputy Campaign Manager for Senator Durbin, the
Chief Deputy Recorder for Cook County Recorder of Deeds Jesse White,
and Aide to Speaker Michael J. Madigan. |
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| MATTIE HUNTER |
Honorable Mattie Hunter, State Senator, serves as Vice Chairman of the
Senate Health and Human Services Committee and is as a member of the
Senate Local Government and State Government Committees. A native of
Chicago, she received a BA degree in Government from Monmouth College
(Illinois), an MA degree in Sociology from Jackson State University
(Mississippi) and a Bus. Adm. Certificate from the University of
Illinois at Chicago. She is a certified alcohol and drug counselor and
prevention specialist. Senator Hunter is also a Program Manager for
the City of Chicago's Dept. of Human Services and is a member of ETA
Phi Beta Sorority-Alpha Lambda Chapter and the Central Credit Union of
Illinois. From 1994-1996, she was Managing Director for the Center for
Health and Human Services in Johannesburg, South Africa and
participated, coordinated and presented lectures at numerous health and
human services conferences in Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Zambia. |
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| SHARON CORRIGAN |
After serving for several years as a legislative director for
then-Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch and then for AFSCME, Sharon Corrigan
currently is working as a full-time mom raising her two daughters, Molly
and Brigid, and being a homemaker. She was a founding member of IWIL
and worked for the first four years as a member of the Delegate
Selection Committee and the Program Committee. She stays involved in
political
activities and works closely with the program committee that plans the
curriculum and programming for IWIL delegates. Her daughters are
frequent visitors to IWIL functions -- perhaps to one day be delegates
themselves! |
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| SHIRLEY A. MCCOMBS |
Honorable Shirley McCombs is presently serving her fifth term as State
Central Committeewoman for the 18th Congressional District, and is
Secretary of the Democratic Party of Illinois, a position she has held
since 1993. She retired in 1997 after serving 22 years as the Illinois
House of Representatives Fiscal Officer for Speakers Michael J.
Madigan and William Redmond. She serves on the Area Agency on
Aging "Project Life" Advisory Council. Her previous positions include
Menard County Democratic Chairman; First Vice President of the Illinois
Democratic Women; First Vice President of the Illinois County
Chairmen's Association; Delegate to Democratic National Convention in
1988, 1996, 2000 and Alernate Delegate in 1992; Assistant Whip of the
Illinois Delegation at the 1996 and 2000 National Conventions;Served as
a Presidential Elector on the Illinios Electoral College in 1992, 1996,
and 2000. She has also worked as a volunteer on numerous local, state,
and national campaigns. |
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