Board Members

Before leaving employment to be a full time mother to her two sons, 
Amalia Rioja served as the Deputy General Counsel to Illinois State 
Comptroller Daniel W. Hynes.  In this position, she was the top legal 
advisor in the Chicago Office.  Previously, she worked as a member of 
the legal staff at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education 
Fund, where she litigated civil rights cases.  She also serves on the 
board of directors of various organizations and was elected to serve as 
Alternate Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2000.

Ann Lata Kalayil, a Manager of Networking Services at the University of 
Chicago, serves as chair of the Indo-American Democratic Organization 
is Board Director of the Indo-American Center.  She serves on the 
Illinois State Comptroller’s Asian-American Advisory Council, Illinois 
Secretary of State’s Asian-American Advisory Board and is a member of 
the Democratic National Committee.  Previously, she served as Vice-
President of the Asian-American Institute, Board Member of Chicago 
Access Network, member of the Illinois Attorney General’s Blue Ribbon 
Advisory Council to the Division of Child Advocacy and a Fellow (2000-
2001) with Leadership Greater Chicago.

Honorable Barbara Flynn Currie became the first woman Majority 
Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1997.  A State 
Representative since 1979, Currie has passed major legislation 
prohibiting sexual harassment, providing emergency public aid programs 
and free mammograms for poor women, and funding for all-day 
kindergarten to name just a few.  She has received numerous awards for 
her public service.  Among those groups that have honored her are the 
Illinois Hospital Association, Illinois Press Association, Illinois 
Maternal Child Health Coalition, Chicago Urban League, and the Illinois 
State Council of Senior Citizens.  Prior to her election to the 
Illinois House of Representatives, she was the Assistant Study Director 
of the National Opinion Research Center and taught part-time at DePaul 
University.

Beth is the Communications Director for the Illinois AFL-CIO – the
umbrella organization for the state’s one million union members. She
works 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. 

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. 

DeShana Forney, Executive Director, leads the State’s 
efforts to finance the creation and preservation of affordable 
housing for low- and moderate-income residents in Illinois. 
She was appointed by the Board of Directors of the Illinois 
Housing Development Authority (IHDA) on January 19, 2007. 

Previously, Forney served as Director of Public Safety for 
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich. In this position, she oversaw 
Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Department of 
Juvenile Justice, Illinois State Police, Illinois Criminal 
Justice Informational Authority, Prisoner Review Board and 
Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. 

Forney also served as the liaison between the Governor and 
the Illinois House of Representatives. Prior to this Forney 
served on the Issues Development Staff for House Speaker 
Michael J. Madigan, the Deputy Director for the Democratic 
Party of Illinois and Coordinator for the Illinois Delegation 
at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, 
California. 

Forney holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science 
from Howard University in Washington, DC and a Masters of 
Arts degree in Political Studies from University of 
Illinois-Springfield. She is Treasurer of the Illinois Women's 
Institute for Leadership, a member of Delta Sigma Theta 
Sorority, Inc., and is also involved with numerous other civic and 
church organizations.

Gail H. Morse is a tax attorney with a national state and local tax 
practice.  She is a Partner with Jenner and Block, resident in the 
Firm’s Chicago office and Chair of the State and Local Tax Practice 
Group.  Gail is a member of the Firm’s Diversity and Pro Bono 
committees, and the Women’s Forum Steering committee.  She is a 
Director for the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (“WBAI”) and Chair 
of WILPOWER, the WBAI PAC.  Gail is Commissioner Mike Quigley’s 
representative to the Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues, sits on 
Rep. Rahm Emanuel’s Gay and Lesbian advisory group and is a member of 
the Personal Pac Board of Directors.  She serves as the Vice President 
of the Women's Treatment Center Board of Directors, Chicago’s premier 
residential substance abuse treatment facility for women; and the Board 
of Vital Bridges, an agency providing housing, nutrition and case 
management for those impacted by HIV/AIDS.  She is an active fundraiser 
for philanthropic endeavors as well as local and national democratic 
candidates and office holders. 

Born May 8, 1963, in Lake Forest, IL; B.A. in Urban Studies from
Princeton; M.A. in Public Policy from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School
of Government; former budget director, WI Department of Industry, Labor
and Human Relations and former strategic planner, Chicago Public
Schools; married (husband, Leo Smith) with three children.

Her Committee Assignments in the General Assembly are:  Human Services;
Appropriations II; Public Health; Education (Vice-Chairperson);
Environment (Vice-Chairperson); Committee of the Whole; Subcommittee on
Amendments (Sub-Chairperson); Deficit Reduction; Subcomm.Medicaid
&Provider Rate Ref; Subcommittee on Special Issues.

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. 

Loretta Durbin is Vice President of Government Affairs Specialists, 
Inc. (GASI), a public affairs consulting firm.  Prior to forming GASI, 
she worked for thirteen years in the General Assembly for the Illinois 
Senate and the Commission on Intergovernmental Cooperation.  Loretta co-
chaired four statewide conferences for the Illinois Women in 
Government, a bipartisan gathering of professional women in government 
service.  She has campaigned for candidates for local, state and 
national offices since the early 1980s.  In 1995 she received the 
Eleanor Roosevelt Award from Central Illinois Democratic Women, Inc. 
for her efforts in fostering goals of the Democratic Party.

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.