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Gov. Pritzker Announces Four Appointments to Boards and Commissions

Press Release - Friday, June 16, 2023

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


Energy Workforce Advisory Council

Jonathan Carson will serve as a Member of the Energy Workforce Advisory Council.* Carson is the Founder and Managing Partner of Trajectory Energy Partners, a Midwest-based solar development company that works closely with landowners and communities to develop community solar and small utility scale projects with strong local support. Prior to founding Trajectory, he spent two years at SolarCity, serving as Senior Director on the Policy and Electric Markets team and as the Senior Director of the Solar Ambassador program. Previously, Carson was the Executive Director of Organizing for Action, a grassroots advocacy movement built by millions of volunteers and focused on building local capacity and training the next generation of progressive organizers. He also served as the Chief of Staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) from 2009-2010. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Carson was the National Field Director for President Obama's campaign in 2008 and worked on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition team. Carson served in the Peace Corps in southern Honduras for two years, building water systems for rural villages and teaching land surveying. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering and received a Master of Arts in Geography from the University of California-Los Angeles.

Health Facilities and Services Review Board

David Katz will serve as a Member of the Health Facilities and Services Review Board.* Katz has spent the bulk of his 35-year professional career in the private equity investment industry, most recently with GTCR and prior to that with Frontenac Company. Over the past 15 years, he has focused on healthcare services, most notably on organizations in a range of healthcare provider and payor sectors. He has a deep understanding of the business models for both for-profit and not-for-profit provider businesses, as well as the challenges faced by communities trying to ensure access to care. As an investor, he has served as a director on the boards of numerous companies operating within the reimbursement payment systems overseen by Medicare, Illinois Medicaid, Illinois Worker's Comp, and a range of commercial payors. Katz received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale University and a Master's in Business Administration from Harvard University.

Monica Hendrickson will serve as a Member of the Health Facilities and Services Review Board.* Since July 2017, Hendrickson has been the Public Health Administrator for the Peoria City and County Health Department. She initially began working with the Health Department in 2009 as the Emergency Preparedness Planner until she had the opportunity to become the Director of Health Protection at Knox County Health Department. She returned to Peoria in 2013 as the Department's Epidemiologist before transitioning to her current role. Hendrickson serves on the Heart of Illinois United Way as a board member and grant reviewer, and is a member of the WTVP Board of Directors, Phoenix Community Development Services Board, and the Trillium Place Board. This July, she will begin her term as the Illinois Public Health Association President. Hendrickson received a Master's of Public Health from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Illinois State University Board of Trustees

Darren Tillis will serve as a Member of the Illinois State University Board of Trustees.* Tillis is the owner of Darren Tillis Insurance Agency, an independent contract agency with State Farm Insurance Companies providing insurance and financial services throughout Illinois, located in Chicago's historic North Lawndale community. With over 29 years of experience in the insurance & financial services industry, Tillis has served in various leadership roles within the company and community including as the Chair of Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) North Lawndale Advisory Board, Co-Chair of Lawndale Community Action Council (CAC), Co-Chair of Hughes Elementary Local School Council, and a member of the Chicago Youth Centers (CYC) North Lawndale Advisory Board. He is currently a member of the Strategic Human Services Board of Directors and a member of the UCAN Governing Board. Tillis is a recipient of the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP Nola Bright Community Service Award and the New Covenant Community Development Corporation Game Changer Award. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Illinois State University.

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.

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