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

ENERGY TRANSITION WORKFORCE COMMISSION

Sameer Doshi will serve as a Member of the Energy Transition Workforce Commission.* Doshi is a Senior Attorney at Earthjustice, where he pursues litigation and other legal work involving electric power plans at the state and federal level. Prior to working in this capacity, he served as Deputy Legal Counsel for the Illinois Power Agency, developing and implementing protocols for energy programs under the Future Energy Jobs Act. His legal experience also includes serving as the Assistant Attorney General of the Public Utilities Bureau for the Office of the Attorney General of Illinois for four years, and as Law Clerk for the United States Courts’ Northern District of Illinois, and as an Associate Attorney of Chapman and Cutler LLP. Doshi received a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Harvard College, a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Angela Morrison will serve as a Member of the Energy Transition Workforce Commission.* Morrison is the Policy Engagement Manager of the Chicago Jobs Council, where she previously worked as a Policy Associate and Project Coordinator. Her career experience also includes working as Business Services Representative and Business Services Manager at the Inspiration Corporation, and as the Employment Services Workforce Development Manager of Southwest Women Working Together. She has also served as a Member of the Governor’s Commission on Workforce and Equity Access. Morrison received a Bachelor’s degree in Social Services and Public Administration from DePaul University.

Paul Noble will serve as a Member of the Energy Transition Workforce Commission.* Noble is the International Vice President assigned to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Sixth District Office encompassing Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin where he has served since 2010. He previously worked as an Organizer, Business Representative, and Business Manager at IBEW Local 702 in West Frankfort, IL representing Electric Utilities and Generators. Noble received an Associates of Applied Science in Electronics Engineering Technology from ITT Technical Institute, a Bachelor’s degree in Union Administration from the National Labor College, and has a Journeyman Wireman Certification.

ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM BOARD

Andrea Carlson will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois State Museum Board.* Carlson is an Artist and Writer whose works have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including You are On Potawatomi Land by the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Red Exit by the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2020. Her portfolio also includes collaborations with institutions including the British Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the National Gallery of Canada. She has also participated in the United States Artists’ Fellowship, the Joan Mitchell Foundation Artists fellowship, and the McKnight/MCAD Foundation Artists Fellowship. Carlson received a Bachelor of Arts in Art and American Indian Studies from the University of Minnesota, and a Master of Fine Arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Leverne Backstrom will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois State Museum Board.* Becker is the Executive Assistant of the Officer Funeral Home P.C. Her career experience also includes working as the Assistant to Mayor Carl E. Officer for three years and instructing 9th grade students as a Language Arts Teacher for School District #189. Backstrom has served as the President of the East St. Louis Planning Commission and the Olivette Park Neighborhood Association, and as the President Pro Tempore of the Katherine Dunham Center for Arts and Humanities. She is a Member of the Dunham Museum Board, the Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference as a Member of the Standing Rules Committee, and the Communications Committee. She is also a Life Member of Black Methodists for Church Renewal and a Silver Life Member of the NAACP. Backstrom received a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, Speech and Drama with a minor in English from Kansas Wesleyan University.

ILLINOIS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION

Dr. Cris Hughes will serve as a Member of the Illinois Forensic Science Commission.* Dr. Hughes is a Clinical Associate Professor of Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Deputy Forensic Anthropologist for the Champaign County Coroner’s Office. Prior to beginning as an Instructor at the University of Illinois, she worked as a Lecturer in Anatomy and Physiology at Parkland College. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and is also affiliated with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Society of Forensic Anthropologists, and the Carl R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology. Dr. Hughes received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Florida, and a Master of Arts and PhD from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

ILLINOIS LIQUOR CONTROL COMMISSION

Patricia Pulido Sanchez will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.* Pulido Sanchez is President and CEO of Pulido Sanchez Communications, LLC, which she is responsible for the business management of clients and client projects. Pulido Sanchez has served in State government as a Member of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, and as a Board Member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, as well as the Metropolitan Bank Board, the Economic Club of Chicago, the National Museum of Mexican Art, The Goodman Theatre, and the Second Federal Savings Bank. Pulido Sanchez received a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

ILLINOIS TORTURE INQUIRY AND RELIEF COMMISSION

Johanes Maliza will serve as a Member of the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission.* Maliza is Of Counsel at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff, and an Adjunct Law Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Law. He previously served as Assistant Federal Public Defender of the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of Illinois, where he represented defendants charged with felonies and served as lead counsel in hundreds of criminal cases, revocations, and sentence modification motions. During his time as a Litigation Associate for Jones Day, he won asylum for a refugee family of five while acting as a Pilot Attorney on firmwide pro bono immigration and refugee representation program in 2015. He has also represented indigent clients before the Roxbury Division of the Suffolk County Superior County. Maliza received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Stanford University, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Daniel Fenske will serve as a Member of the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission.* Fenske is a Partner at Mayer Brown LLP and a member of the Antitrust and Competition practice. He has substantial experience in class action and regulatory issues and with general complex commercial litigation. He previously served as a Partner and Litigator at Jenner & Block LLP. Fenske received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Marquette University and a Juris Doctor from the Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATORS AND PUBLIC GUARDIANS

Louis Apostol will continue to serve as Public Administrator of Cook County.* An attorney with extensive experience in the legal field, Apostol served on the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board prior to assuming the role of Public Administrator. He was the Board’s Executive Director, General Counsel and Legislative Liaison. He also served on the Illinois Court of Claims as a Commissioner and Trial Judge for five years, and as Chair of the Attorney’s Advisory Committee for the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Cook County. Apostol is the former President of the Hellenic Foundation of Chicago and was recently reappointed as Vice President of the organization in 2020. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Elmhurst College, a Master of Business Administration for the Northern Illinois University College of Business Management, and a Juris Doctor from the Northern Illinois University College of Law.

Carolee Maxine Hoerner will serve as Public Administrator and Public Guardian of St. Clair County.* Hoerner is an Associate Attorney at Becker, Hoerner & Ysursa, P.C., where she authors motions, complaints and statements for cases, interviews clientele to assess the strength of their claims, negotiates settlements, and is involved in all aspects of litigation. Hoerner also worked as a Law Clerk for the corporation, where she prepared legal documentation, conducted legal research and analysis, and communicated with attorneys regarding case management. She is affiliated with the St. Clair County Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. Hoerner received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Juris Doctor from the Southern Illinois University School of Law.

STATE BOARD OF HEALTH

Erica Salem will serve as a Member of the State Board of Health.* Salem is the Senior Director of Strategy, Programs and Policy at the Respiratory Health Association, where she oversees all mission related activities related to clean air, asthma, and tobacco cessation. Before working in this role, she was the Deputy Commissioner of Planning, Policy and Development at the Chicago Department of Public Health where she directed the development of Healthy Chicago, the City’s first public health agenda. She also worked for the Department as the Director of Planning and Development, and as Assistant Commissioner. Her work also includes documenting the impact of the Affordable Care Act as the Director of Strategic Health Initiatives at Health and Disabilities Advocates. Salem received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin, and a Master’s Degree from the University of North Carolina.

ASSISTANT ADJUTANT GENERAL – AIR of the ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS

Brigadier General Daniel McDonough will serve as Assistant Adjutant General – Air of the Illinois Department of Military Affairs. Brigadier General McDonough was serving as the Wing Commander for the 182d Airlift Wing, Peoria of which he relinquished command to be promoted to the Assistant Adjutant General - Air and Commander of the Illinois Air National Guard. Colonel McDonough is an evaluator, instructor, and command pilot with over 5,600 flight hours, including 475 combat hours. As the commander of the 182nd Airlift Wing he was responsible for maintaining the combat readiness of eight C-130H3 aircraft and more than 1,240 traditional and fulltime Illinois Air National Guardsmen. He was mission ready in the OA-37 Dragonfly, F-16 Fighting Falcon and C-130H3 Hercules and has deployed six times as a C-130 aircraft commander in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, as well as four times to command the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in Afghanistan. He received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Aviation Administration from Indiana State University.

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.