Gov. Pritzker Announces Five Appointments to State Boards and Commissions

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

Sam Toia will serve on the Employment Security Board of Review.* Since 2012, Toia has served as President & CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA), a non-profit trade association representing the state's largest private sector employer, with projected employment in 2019 of 588,000 people and more than $30.1 billion in annual sales. At the IRA, he is responsible for managing day-to-day operations of the association, increasing its membership base, developing strategies to enhance its profitability and maintaining positive relations with public officials and state and local agencies. Toia is passionate about local, state, and federal issues affecting the hospitality industry. He has served in leadership positions in several civic and public agencies. Previously, he was a board member for McPier (McCormick Place Navy Pier) from 2003 to 2010. In 2011, Mayor Emanuel named Toia to the Zoning Board of Appeals. In 2017, he was appointed a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for Choose Chicago. Toia is a graduate of DePaul University.

ILLINOIS FINANCE AUTHORITY

Will Hobert will serve on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Finance Authority.* Hobert is managing member of WH Trading, a global proprietary derivatives trading firm he founded in 1994 in Chicago. WH Trading provides liquidity to a wide range of futures and options markets including: Interest Rate, Foreign Exchange, Agricultural Commodity and Energy products. He is also on the Board of Directors of the CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace. Hobert chairs the Board of My Block My Hood My City, serves on the President's Board of UCAN and is involved with AUSL. He lives in North Center with his wife Julie, is an avid Cubs fan and enjoy tennis, sailing and walking their dog to the many different micro-breweries in their neighborhood.

Roxanne Nava will serve on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Finance Authority.* Nava is the Executive Director of Metropolitan Family Services North Center and Evanston/Skokie Valley Center. She has almost 30 years of experience in business and finance, government and philanthropy. Prior to joining the Metropolitan Family Services, Nava served as the Chief Small Business Officer for the City of Chicago, where she helped start and grow more than 70,000 businesses. Her prior roles include serving as Director of the State of Illinois Division of Financial Institutions, Assistant Director for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Vice President with The Northern Trust Company. Her civic and community involvement is extensive, including Leadership of Greater Chicago's board, the Cook County State's Attorney Latino Advisory Council, the Illinois Latino Family Commission, the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation, and City Colleges of Chicago's board. Her civic recognitions consist of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Leadership Award, the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation Leadership Award, and being a Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago. Nava earned her Master of Business Administration from National Louis University and her Bachelor of Science in finance from DePaul University.

Randy Wexler will serve on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Finance Authority.* Wexler is the Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Van Drunen Farms and FutureCeuticals (collectively "VDF"). VDF has its roots and heart in commercial-scale farming, manufactures and sells frozen and dried fruit, vegetable and herb ingredients to the food industry and invents, develops and sells functional supplement and food ingredients to the dietary supplement industry. Prior to joining VDF, he practiced law with Sidley Austin LLP for over 15 years, where he was a partner for more than 7 years. Wexler was trained as a litigator and trial lawyer. His relevant expertise included managing complex financial litigation, counseling public company boards concerning financial accounting noncompliance and counseling food, supplement and drug companies concerning FDA/regulatory compliance. He also serves as a member of the Board of the Chicago Council of Lawyers. Wexler earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. in Economics from Yale University.

ILLINOIS STATE POLICE MERIT BOARD

Eddie Lee Warren will serve on the Illinois State Police Merit Board.* Warren has been and is the Senior Pastor of the Amazing Cathedral of Worship Church since December 1980, headquartered in Quincy, Illinois. He is also a published author of eight books. Warren also is the Presiding Prelate Of the organization that he founded in 1995, The International Network of Affiliate Ministries with its 45 churches and nearly 5000 parishioners and is married to Ella P Warren for the past 41 years.

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.