Gov. Pritzker Announces 10 Appointments to Authorities, Boards, Commissions, Courts, Public Administrator and Public Guardian Positions

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

CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT BOARD

David Sidney will serve as a member of the Capital Development Board.* Sidney is the CEO and Founder of Place Foundry LLC, where he acts as Lead Consultant for property development. He previously worked as the Executive Director and Project Director at Transform Rockford, and as City Planner for the City of Rockford. Sidney was also the Senior Planner at StudioGWA, where he worked for five years. He has served on the Board of Commissioners for the Rockford Housing Authority and on the Board of Directors for the Rockford Mass Transit District. Sidney received a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from the Northern Seminary.

COMMISSION ON EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Ennedy Rivera will serve as a member of the Commission on Equity and Inclusion.* Rivera has served as Chief Legal Counsel at the Office of the City Clerk for the City of Chicago. Prior to this role, she was the Deputy General Counsel at Central Management Services and the General Counsel for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Rivera was also a Senior Associate for Wysocki and Smith, where she worked for nine years. She is currently on the Board of Trustees for Woodlands Academy and previously served on the Board of Directors for Mother’s Trust, the State of Illinois Charitable Trust, and the YWCA of Lake County. Rivera received a Bachelor’s from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Juris Doctorate from the DePaul University College of Law.

ILLINOIS COURT OF CLAIMS

Peter Birnbaum will continue to serve as Chief Justice of the Illinois Court of Claims.* Birnbaum has served on the Illinois Court of Claims since 2004 before being named Chief Justice in 2015. He is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., where he has worked since 1981. Birnbaum is Secretary of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Task Force on Public Protection from Unauthorized Practice of Law. He is also a member of the Association’s Task Force on Unauthorized Law, as well as the Board of Governors American Land Title Association. He previously served as Co-Chairman of the Lawyers Committee and the Little City Foundation. He received a Bachelor’s from the University of Iowa and a Juris Doctorate from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

ILLINOIS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION

Jeffrey Buford will serve as a member of the Illinois Forensic Science Commission.* Buford is the Laboratory Director for the Illinois State Police Forensic Science Center at Chicago. Previously, he was the Acting Forensic Science Administrator and the Assistant Director of Quality Assurance. Buford has also worked as the Center’s Group Supervisor, where he worked for more than 10 years supervising 14 scientists. He received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Chicago State University and a Master of Science from Governor’s State University.

Claire Dragovich will serve as a member of the Illinois Forensic Science Commission.* Dragovich is the Laboratory Director at the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, a role in which she has served for over 20 years. She is a member of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, and the Organization of Scientific Area Committees, where she has served as Vice Chair. She has also served as an associate member of the Clandestine Laboratory Investigating Chemists Association. Dragovich received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Benedictine University, and a Certificate Program in Forensic Drug Chemistry from the University of Florida.

Caryn Tucker will serve as a member of the Illinois Forensic Science Commission.* Tucker is the Training Coordinator for the Illinois State Police, where she provides continuing education and trains new forensic scientists in firearm and toolmark identification. Prior to working in this capacity, she served as the Group Supervisor for the Illinois State Police, as well as a forensic scientist and as an Evidence Technician where she assisted in case analysis. Tucker previously served as a Member of the Chicago Public Schools Local Council and is currently a member of the Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners. She received a Bachelor’s in Biology from Quincy University, and a Master’s in Forensic Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR AND PUBLIC GUARDIANS

Gregory Barry will continue to serve as Public Administrator and Public Guardian of McHenry County.* Barry has worked as a licensed attorney at the Zukowski, Rogers, Flood & McArdle Law Firm for 15 years, where he specializes in cases including litigation, the Homeowner’s Association, elder law, wills, estates, trusts and probates. He has served as Treasurer and Director of Elderwerks Educational Services, as a member of the AgeGuide Area Association of Aging, and on the McHenry County Bar Association as a member and presenter. He also served as a board member and volunteer for the Family Health Partnership Clinic and in various roles within the St. Mary Catholic Church. Barry received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas in 2006.

Mary Gaziano will continue to serve as Public Administrator and Public Guardian of the counties of Boone and Winnebago.* Gaziano is an Attorney at the Attorney Mary J. Gaziano Law Firm and serves as Special Assistant Attorney General for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, to which she was appointed in 2006. Prior to establishing her law firm, she was a Law Clerk and Associate Attorney at Remencius & Associates, Ltd. Gaziano has served as Treasurer for the Rockford Golf Classic for Special Olympics, as the former Secretary for the Quota Club of Rockford, and as a member of the Board of Directors for Ducks Unlimited, Rockford Chapter. Gaziano received a Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Sara Rice will serve as a member of the Southwestern Illinois Development Authority. * Rice is an Associate Attorney at Wilson, Dabler & Associates, LLC where she works in litigation and client management. She previously served as Assistant Public Defender for the St. Clair County Public Defender’s Office for four years, and as Clerk for the St. Clair County Treasurer’s Office for six years. Rice has also worked as an intern for the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office. She received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctorate from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Randall Harris will serve as a member of the Southwestern Illinois Development Authority.* Harris is Director of the Midwest Region of the Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET), where he has served for over 15 years. He is also an Allocations Panel Member of United Way and a volunteer and fund raiser for JDRF. He previously worked as a union laborer. Harris has also served as Chairman of the National LECET Director’s Council. He received a Bachelor of Science in History from Illinois State University

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.