Housing authority director part of Edgar Fellows Program

Jul. 28—URBANA — Forty emerging, public policy leaders from across Illinois, including Vermilion County Housing Authority Executive Director Jaclyn Vinson, have been selected to be part of the 10th annual Edgar Fellows Program.

They will gather in Champaign from Aug. 7 to Aug. 11.

Vinson stated, "I am honored to have been selected as a member of the 10th Edgar Fellows class. I would like to send my sincere appreciation to those who nominated me and to others who advocated for my inclusion in this year's class. Thanks to the Vermilion Housing Authority staff and Commissioners for supporting me and allowing me to participate in this honor. I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet, connect and learn from the distinguished speakers associated with the Edgar Fellows Program and my fellow classmates."

Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. was a fellow in the program last year.

The Edgar Fellows Program is a statewide initiative designed by former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar to inspire respectful and collaborative leadership to address the state's major challenges.

The 40 participants selected this year were chosen from nearly 160 nominees and reflect Illinois' political, racial, ethnic and geographic diversity. They include elected and appointed officials from all levels of government, leaders of non-profit organizations and individuals who are making their mark in the business world.

"Each year, the Edgar Fellows Program brings together a group of leaders, with different backgrounds and different politics, from all over Illinois. They share and learn from those different life experiences, but they also find out that they have more in common than they have differences," said Edgar, who launched the program in 2012.

"People who were strangers on Sunday become good friends by Thursday. It has been gratifying to watch that happen with the members of the nine classes who have already been through this program. It's what the Edgar Fellows program is all about, finding common ground and respect, so our fellows can work together throughout their careers to help shape a better Illinois," he said.

The week in Champaign includes an intense executive training program designed and hosted by Edgar and his staff, some of whom are housed at the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs. The fellows will engage with more than two dozen policy experts and experienced practitioners. But most importantly, they will learn from each other in discussions of issues that include economic development, climate change, education, Medicaid, negotiations and intergovernmental cooperation.

The 2022 class will bring the number of fellows who have completed the program to 393. After completing the initial program, fellows continue to meet at alumni gatherings designed to increase their knowledge and help build their professional networks.

The Edgar Fellows Program is funded by donations from a diverse group of individuals, organizations and companies interested in promoting competent, ethical and solution-oriented leadership in Illinois.

An advisory board chaired by Alexander Lerner, the Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois State Medical Society, helps to guide the program. Other board members are: MarySue Barrett, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Metro, and former president, Metropolitan Planning Council; Mark Boozell, Government Policy Advisor, Dykema Law Offices; Kirk Brown, Director, Hanson Professional Services and former Illinois secretary of transportation; Nikki Budzinski, former Chief of Staff for the White House Office of Management and Budget; Kevin Callis, Vice President of Operations, State Farm; Miguel del Valle, President, Chicago Board of Education, and former state senator and Chicago city clerk; Julian D'Esposito, retired Partner in the Mayer Brown LLP law firm; Mark Denzler, President, Illinois Manufacturers' Association; Jason Francque, Director, Government Affairs, John Deere; Allen Grosboll, former Legislative Director, Environmental Law and Policy Center, and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Gov. Jim Edgar; Carter Hendren, retired partner at Hendren Taylor Consulting, and former Chief of Staff for Illinois Senate Republicans; John Kamis, Partner, Turing Strategies; Mike Lawrence, former Director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIU-Carbondale, and former Press Secretary and Senior Policy Adviser to Gov. Jim Edgar; Lisa Madigan, Partner in the Kirkland & Ellis law firm and former Attorney General of Illinois; Janet M. Mathis, Executive Director, Edgar Fellows Program; Felicia Norwood, Executive Vice President and President, Government Business Division, Anthem, Inc., and former Director of the Illinois' Department of Healthcare and Family Services; Howard A. Peters III, President, HAssociated Press Incorporated, and former Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services; Mark Peterson, Chief Strategy Officer, Globetrotters Engineering Corporation; Sylvia Puente, Executive Director, Latino Policy Forum; Gene Reineke, Chairman and Founder, Hawthorne Strategy Group; Robin Steans, President, Advance Illinois and Board Chair, Steans Family Foundation; and John Varones, Managing Principal, Systima Capital Management.

Edgar Fellows Class of 2022: Shweta Baid, Aurora, Alderman; Representative Chris Bos, Lake Zurich; Christopher Brown, Mayor of Morris; Senator Terri Bryant, Murphysboro; Jacob Butcher, Springfield, Chief of Staff, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon and the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus; Representative Lakesia Collins, Chicago; Mimi Cowan, Naperville, Will County Board Member; Magda Derisma, Springfield, Legislative Director and Staff Attorney, Illinois AFL-CIO; James Donelan, Springfield, Alderman and Executive Director of Township Officials of Illinois Risk Management Association; Kelly Edwards, Bloomington, State Counsel, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Companies; Representative Amy Elik, Alton; Celeste Flores, Gurnee, Director of Community Building, Mano a Mano Family Resource Center; Representative David Friess, Redbud; Christy George, Chicago, First Assistant Deputy Governor for Budget and Economy, office of the Governor; Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Glenview; Representative Edgar Gonzalez, Jr., Chicago; Lanyea Griffin, Chicago, Executive Director, Illinois Tollway; Laura Hepp Kessel, Canton, Fulton County Board Member and Director of Telehealth Medicine, SIU School of Medicine; Patrick Hoban, Bloomington, Chief Executive Officer, Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council; Rory Hoskins, Mayor of Forest Park; Kevin "KJ" Johnson, St. Joseph, President and CEO, Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association; John Kahl, Mayor of East Peoria; Erica Martinez, Chicago, Public Health Administrator, University of Illinois at Chicago Alumni; Jodi Miller, Mayor of Freeport; Jenna Mitchell, Springfield, Chief of Staff, Illinois Senate Republicans; Senator Laura Murphy, Des Plaines; Chris Nelson, Mayor of Village of West Dundee and Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Comcast; Jim O'Connor, Oak Park, Project Director at Advance Illinois; Cesar Orozco, Chicago, Assistant Comptroller for Chicago, Illinois Office of the Comptroller; Michael Reid, Jr., President of the Village of Hampshire; Leigh Richie, Chicago, Deputy General Counsel and Deputy Chief Compliance Officer, office of the Governor; Daniel Serota, Lake Zurich, Director of Public Affairs at Aon; Representative Dave Severin, Benton; Senator Mike Simmons, Chicago; Representative Dan Ugaste, Geneva; Roberto Valdez, Jr., Chicago, Associate Director of External Affairs, Latino Policy Forum; Don Villar, Chicago, Secretary-Treasurer, Chicago Federation of Labor; Vinson; Ben Winick, Chicago, Chief of Staff, Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services; and Asif Yusuf, Oak Brook, Trustee, Village of Oak Brook.