New Appointees to Bring Fresh Leadership to Vital Economic Engine

CHICAGO - March 6, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today continued his efforts to grow our economy by announcing four new appointments to the Illinois Medical District Commission (IMDC), which oversees the largest urban medical district in the country. Jennifer Woodard, James Clewlow, Meredith O'Connor and Blake Sercye will join the board that also includes two appointees designated by the mayor of Chicago and one designated by the president of the Cook County Board.

"Cutting-edge, health-related fields, such as biotechnology, are important economic engines in Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "For Illinois and the city of Chicago to remain at the forefront of these fields, we need to have leaders who will spur job creation and economic development by providing the vision and oversight necessary to identifying opportunities and investments that will benefit everyone."

The IMDC, formally established in 1941, develops and manages the 560-acre Illinois Medical District (IMD) in Chicago, which has 20,000 employees working in hospitals, health clinics, research labs and the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) - the nation's largest medical school, and the state's largest biotechnology complex. The IMD supports 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, while generating $3.3 billion in economic activity and more than $100 million in state and local taxes. The IMD is funded through property sales and lease proceeds and cannot levy taxes.

Jennifer Woodard is associate vice chancellor in the Office of External Affairs at UIC. During her 14 years at UIC, Woodard has lead numerous initiatives focused on bringing support to the academic, research and service missions of the campus. Prior to joining UIC, she practiced law, specializing in corporate and international corporate matters. She has served on several non-profit arts and service organization boards, including Chicago Opera Theater, El Valor and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. She holds degrees in English literature and history from the University of North Dakota and a juris doctorate from the Northwestern University School of Law.

James Clewlow has served as chief investment officer for CenterPoint since January of 2005, after serving as senior vice president of investments. He joined CenterPoint in 1997 and oversees investment activity for the company. Mr. Clewlow has been involved in industrial real estate since graduating from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1985. He worked for CBRE as an industrial real estate broker for 11 years serving the Chicago area and joined CenterPoint in an acquisitions capacity. Mr. Clewlow received his master's degree in business administration from Kellogg's Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Meredith O'Connor is the managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle's Midwest Region. Prior to joining Jones Lang LaSalle, O'Connor was the deputy director of business development at World Business Chicago (WBC), a public-private economic development corporation comprised of more than 20 top executives from many of Chicago's leading companies. She spent more than 10 years as deputy commissioner with the city of Chicago where she founded a new unit in the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to advocate for science and technology-based economic development. She also held several other city positions, including assistant to the mayor and was appointed as the youngest-ever assistant sergeant at arms for the Chicago City Council. Ms. O'Connor holds a master's of business administration in finance from Loyola University's Graduate School of Business.

Blake P. Sercye is an associate in the litigation department at Jenner & Block.  Prior to joining the firm, Sercye handled family law, sealing and expungement matters as a PILI Fellow at the Chicago Legal Clinic in the city's Austin neighborhood. He serves on the board of directors for the Umoja Student Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization that provides tutoring and college preparatory counseling for inner city high school students. He is also a member of Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School's Young Leader's Council, the Chicago Westside Branch of the NAACP and the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Sercye earned his juris doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was a member of The University of Chicago Legal Forum and the Black Law Students Association. He received a bachelor's degree in politics with honors from Princeton University.

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Federal Funding Award to Advance K-12 Reforms, Improve Student Achievement and Boost Science Technology Engineering, Math (STEM) Learning Across Illinois

CHICAGO - December 23, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced Illinois earned a $42.8 million federal grant under the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top (RTTT) program to help bolster Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) education across the state and other work to close the achievement gap. Half of those funds- about $21 million -will go directly to the state's local districts that agree to accelerate education reform. Illinois is one of seven states in the nation to be awarded a portion of the $200 million in federal funds, which will be distributed through the 2013-14 school year to benefit K-12 students.

"The best long-term economic tool is a good education," Governor Quinn said. "As Illinois continues to pursue a strong education reform agenda, this grant allows us to continue to reach for improved scores, higher graduation rates and a system that produces graduates who are well prepared for the 21st century job market."

"Education in Illinois is undergoing a sea change aimed to ensure new generations of students become better prepared for college and careers," said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. "These federal funds will help support the many efforts under way so that children across the state will have greater access to a quality education."

Illinois applied for the grant and was declared eligible for funds as one of nine finalists in the second round of RTTT. The grant application reflects the priorities of the previous two RTTT applications and ongoing work under the state's current reform agenda, which includes implementing the new rigorous Common Core Learning Standards in Math and English Language Arts, advancing teacher and principal effectiveness and providing educators with data that can better inform and improve classroom instruction. Among the initiatives is advancing STEM programs of study and developing a system of induction and mentoring for STEM educators.

"These federal funds will help support Illinois' ongoing work to implement new practices in the classroom during the next several years that aim to improve student learning and close the achievement gap," said Illinois State Board of Education Chairman Gery J. Chico. "An investment in education and our long-term reforms is an investment in children's well being and our state's economic future."

Other projects to be funded include the oversight and delivery of professional development to help align district curriculum to the new Common Core Learning Standards in English Language Arts and Math and high quality student assessments that can be used to measure student growth and be incorporated into educator evaluations.

Funds will also be used to bolster ongoing development of a data system that supports personalized learning and access to high quality resources. Specifically, Illinois has been selected to be one of the first states to implement the Shared Learning Infrastructure, a multi-state collaborative to develop a next-generation technology system that will enable teachers to easily find high-quality and highly-customizable curriculum and classroom resources aligned to the Common Core Standards.

The six other states awarded funds under the third Race to the Top Competition are: Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. To learn more about the Race to the Top and Illinois' plan for the $42.8 million, please visit http://www.isbe.net/racetothetop/PDF/phase3_app.pdf .

New Research Facility will Support Innovation and Create 200 High-tech Illinois Jobs

BATAVIA - December 16, 2011. Officials from the administration of Governor Pat Quinn today announced $20 million in Illinois Jobs Now! capital funding for the design and construction of a new accelerator research facility at Fermilab. Ground was broken today on the new facility, which will be part of Fermilab's Illinois Accelerator Research Center (IARC) complex. The complex will be a state-of-the-art facility for research, development and industrialization of particle accelerator technology, creating 200 high-tech jobs.

"In Illinois we understand the importance of investing in cutting-edge technologies, which not only boosts our economy, but also secures our role as a major competitor in the global marketplace," Governor Quinn said. "The best minds in the world are right here, and today we are investing in our future by ensuring that the latest groundbreaking particle research activities will continue to come from Illinois."

The IARC project is being funded jointly by the state of Illinois and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science (DOE). Administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), $20 million in Illinois Jobs Now! capital funding was awarded to Fermilab for the design and construction of a new building that will form part of the IARC complex. The DOE is also providing $13 million to Fermilab to refurbish an existing heavy industrial building that will be incorporated into the complex, adding 36,000 square feet of specialized work space.

"The IARC facility will help fuel innovation by developing advanced technologies, strengthening ties with industry and training the scientists of tomorrow," said William Brinkman, the director of the DOE's Office of Science. "The Department of Energy welcomes the opportunity to partner with the state of Illinois and looks forward to seeing IARC come to fruition."

On behalf of Governor Quinn, DCEO Director Warren Ribley joined DOE and Fermilab officials today at the IARC groundbreaking ceremony to announce funding from the Governor's capital program for the project.

"The IARC facility positions Illinois at the forefront of the world-wide effort to develop cutting-edge accelerator technologies," said Director Ribley. "It also reinforces the Quinn Administration's commitment to supporting innovation in Illinois, as well as the creation of 200 high-tech jobs in addition to construction jobs."

The IARC is expected to create 200 new high-tech jobs and will be located in the heart of the industrial area of the Fermilab campus in Batavia. The facility will provide 42,000 square feet of technical, office and educational space for scientists and engineers from Fermilab, DOE's Argonne National Laboratory, local universities and industrial partners. The IARC complex will help develop private industry partnerships for the commercial and industrial application of accelerator technology for energy and the environment, medicine, industry, national security and discovery science. The IARC will also offer unique advanced educational opportunities to a new generation of Illinois engineers and scientists and will help attract top scientists from around the world.

"A focused effort and strengthened partnerships between government and industry is required for the United States to remain competitive in accelerator science and technology," said Fermilab Director Pier Oddone. "IARC will greatly enhance accelerator research and innovation at Fermilab and strengthen our capability to host new international projects. We will also broaden our economic impact on Illinois by working with industry and universities on advanced R&D with many commercial and scientific applications."

Today's particle accelerators address many of the challenges confronting the U.S. in the areas of sustainable energy, a cleaner environment, economic security, health care and national defense. The accelerators of tomorrow have the potential to make still greater contributions. The IARC will be utilized as incubator space for emerging accelerator technologies, providing a central point for cutting-edge accelerator research and industrialization.

"This is an exciting project for the state. It links our research capability with businesses in Illinois and will help boost innovation while bringing much needed jobs to Illinoisans," said State Rep. Mike Fortner (R-West Chicago).

As part of his continued commitment to boosting innovation in Illinois, Governor Quinn launched the Illinois Innovation Council (www.IllinoisInnovation.com) in February to ensure the state remains on the cutting-edge in the global economy. The council is actively working to promote the role and importance of innovation in economic development and quality of life; convene and partner with academic, business and governments to evaluate and recommend initiatives to improve support for innovation, and align public and private resources.

CHICAGO - December 13, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today issued the following statement regarding today's passage of the Economic Growth and Tax Reform Package:

"Before veto session, we brought the leaders to the table with the goal of delivering economic growth and tax reform for both hard-working families and employers. The package that is on the way to my desk is a win for workers and a win for employers in Illinois.

"At its core, this package is about jobs. By doubling the Earned Income Tax Credit, we are supporting job creation and putting more money in the pockets of everyday working people, which allows them to spend those dollars at local businesses in their communities. Improving the value of the standard personal exemption is an effective tool that benefits all taxpayers and also makes our tax code more fair. The Research and Development Tax Credit and other small business tax credits included in this package will help spur job creation, investment and economic development all over the state.

"Investing in working families and employers is a good investment for Illinois. This package is the result of a bipartisan effort and diligent work by many. I commend the Senate, Senate President John Cullerton, Minority Leader Christine Radogno and Sen. Toi Hutchinson for their hard work to pass a package that will provide much-needed relief to working families in Illinois and help employers put more people back to work."