SPRINGFIELD - Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has made appointments to the Illinois Workforce Investment Board, the State University Retirement Board, the Medical Disciplinary Board, the Medical District Commission, and the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.

Name: Angela Mason

Position: Board Member - Illinois Workforce Investment Board

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Angela Mason to Illinois Workforce Investment Board. She brings more than 11 years of management and leadership experience to the board.

Currently, Mason works as the Associate Vice President, Urban Agriculture/Windy City Harvest of the Chicago Botanic Garden. In this role she oversees the development and management of the program including budgeting, fundraising, staff and business development. Mason previously held two other positions with the Chicago Botanic Garden, Director of Windy City Harvest and Manager of Community Gardening.

Over the course of her career, Mason has developed and implemented effective programs across Chicagoland. She has collaborated with local, state and national government entities as well as with cultural, non-profit and educational institutions.

Mason holds a bachelor's and master's degree in soil and general agriculture from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. She lives in Chicago.

Name: Eloy Salazar

Position: Board Member - Illinois Workforce Investment Board

Governor Bruce Rauner has reappointed Eloy Salazar to the Illinois Workforce Investment Board. He has served on the board since December 2012.

Salazar has been with the Illinois Migrant Council since 1969. Currently, he serves as the Executive Director. He is in charge of the day-to-day operations and human services program for the council. Salazar also served as an associate director, field operations director, regional director and job developer.

In addition to his role at the council, Salazar is active on a number of professional and civic boards that include : Illinois Affordable Housing Task Force, Workforce Development Board of East Central Illinois, Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies, Arden Shore Child and Family Services and Pilsen Wellness Center.

Salazar holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from Illinois State University. He lives in Mundelein.

Name: Francis Idehen Jr.

Position: Board Member - State Universities Retirement Board

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Francis Idehen, Jr. to the State Universities Retirement Board. He brings a strong background in pension investment strategies and investment relations to the board.

Idehen is currently Vice President for Investor Relations at Exelon Corporation. At Exelon, Idehen is responsible for developing and implementing the company's strategic investor relations program. He was previously a managing director at Exelon, where he developed and executed an investment strategy of more than $3 billion in alternative investments for the company's pension plan and other retirement plans. Before coming to Exelon, Idehen was a Senior Portfolio Manager at Intel Corporation, and an Associate at Lehman Brothers.

Idehen holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Yale University and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School. He lives in Chicago.

Name: Albert F. Tracy

Position: Board Member - Medical Disciplinary Board

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Albert F. Tracy to the Medical Disciplinary Board. He brings more than a decade of health service investigation and close to 30 years of tax law enforcement experience to the board.

Tracy currently serves as a health service investigator for the State of Illinois, a position he has held since 2002. Before working for the State of Illinois, Tracy worked for almost 30 years as a special agent for the Internal Revenue Service, ensuring that the tax code was properly enforced.

Tracy is also President of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 9F, and is a member of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, The Illinois Police Association and the Federal Criminal Investigator's Association.

Tracy holds a degree in education from Chicago State University. He resides in Spring Grove.

Name: George Bilicic

Position: Member - Illinois Medical District Commission

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed George Bilicic to the Illinois Medical District Commission. His experience in finance and investment banking makes him an asset to the commission.

Bilicic is currently the Vice President of Investment Banking at Lazard and oversees the company's banking efforts in the areas of power, energy and infrastructure. He also serves on the firm's Investment Banking Committee. He has worked for Lazard since 2002, except for a few months spent at the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. He also spent a year at Merrill Lynch from 2001-2002.

Prior to his work in banking, Bilicic was a partner at the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He joined the firm as an associate in 1989, and his practice focused on mergers and acquisitions.

Bilicic earned his bachelor's degree from DeSales University and his law degree from Georgetown University. He lives in Chicago.

Name: Connie Beard

Position: Chairman - Illinois Liquor Control Commission

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed the Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) to lead the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC). Beard will do this in conjunction with her duties as Director of IDOR, and will forego any compensation related to her role as chairman. The ILCC is already under the purview of IDOR, and work very closely together. Having Beard serve as the head of both will save taxpayers money, and will help both agencies work together more efficiently.

Beard joined the administration in January, bringing more than 30 years of experience in state and local taxes to the position. From 1997 to 2015 she was the Executive Director for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Tax Institute. Prior to that, Beard worked for IDOR under Governors Thompson, Edgar and Ryan. She held a number of positions, rising to the position of Deputy General Counsel.

Beard is a licensed attorney, earning her law degree from the University of Illinois. She earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from Eastern Illinois University. Beard currently resides in Jacksonville.

BISMARCK, ND (07/24/2015)(readMedia)-- Monica Rilea, of Bismarck, ND, graduated from Bismarck State College with a A.A. and an A.S. in Liberal Arts in Fall 2014. Fall 2014 graduates were eligible to walk in the college's 75th commencement ceremony on May 15, 2015.

Bismarck State College, an innovative community college in Bismarck, N.D., offers high quality education, workforce training, and enrichment programs reaching local and global communities. For more information, visit bismarckstate.edu.

Midwest leaders including Nebraska Governor, Iowa Lieutenant Governor, Nebraska Farm Bureau and Novozymes encourage rural community to make their voice heard in support of biofuels before July 27 EPA comment deadline.

(BLAIR, Neb.) - Today Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and Iowa Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds joined Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson and Novozymes General Manager Kyle Nixon at the company's enzyme plant in Blair, Nebraska to express the potential economic impact on Nebraska and Iowa of the pending EPA proposal to slash billions of gallons from America's Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). If enacted, it would threaten thousands of jobs and the billions of dollars of investments by ethanol producers and technology providers in Nebraska and Iowa.

"Agriculture is Nebraska's number one industry, and ethanol is one of the key agricultural growth industries that have added billions in revenue and thousands of jobs over the past decade to our state," said Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts. "These efforts were undertaken in expectation that such efforts would meet the commitment of this nation to renewable fuels established by the Renewable Fuel Standard. Nebraskans have cause for concern because the EPA's proposal to slash billions of gallons of biofuels from the RFS has the potential to negatively impact the future growth of our state. The RFS is an achievable and ambitious target and must be maintained."

According to a 2015 economic analysis by Fuels America, the RFS is driving $184 billion in economic activity and more than 850,000 jobs with $46 billion in wages across America. This is the result of years of investment by the biofuel sector to bring clean, low carbon renewable fuels to market.  This activity creates a ripple effect as supplier firms and employees re-spend throughout the economy.  The local impact for Nebraska is $11.1 billion and nearly 40,000 jobs.  Likewise, the impact for Iowa is $19.3 billion and 73,000 jobs.

"A robust Renewable Fuel Standard creates quality careers, increases family incomes, reduces our dependence on foreign oil, provides sustainable renewable energy, and fosters growth in the biofuels and agricultural industries," said Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds. "Those of us in America's Heartland know the importance of a strong Renewable Fuels Standard and we hope as more supportive comments arrive before the July 27^th deadline, the EPA will reverse course and partner with us to continue growing America's renewable energy sector through a strong Renewable Fuel Standard."

Today, the United States creates 14 billion gallons of home-grown biofuels for our cars, trucks and our growing military needs--more than we import from Saudi Arabia. The group that will likely feel the impact of this proposal the most is America's farmers.

"EPA's decision to not follow the intent of Congress when it developed the RFS2 in 2007 is highly disappointing to all of agriculture. Renewable fuels, more specifically corn based ethanol, has been a tremendous success story for the nation as a whole as well as to Nebraska's rural economy. The RFS has reduced our country's dependence on foreign crude oil, reduced air pollution, increased farm incomes and has provided good paying jobs within rural America. EPA's proposal is a step in the wrong direction and ignores the benefits ethanol and biofuels have provided," said Steve Nelson, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Novozymes has played a leading role in the development of the existing biofuels industry and the growing advanced biofuels industry. Enzymes from its Blair, Nebraska plant allow agricultural products like corn starch and corn stover to be converted into conventional and advanced biofuels. The enzyme plant has helped realize two of the Obama Administration's key goals for renewable energy; creating short-term construction and long-term professional jobs; and helping move the U.S. away from foreign oil and towards homegrown renewable fuel, energizing the economy and increasing domestic security.

"The RFS is not just a policy it's how we live our lives. Today Novozymes has 127 full time employees in Nebraska and Iowa--jobs that were created in large part, due to the RFS," said Kyle Nixon, Novozymes General Manager. "We care deeply for our communities and want to see benefits like jobs, worker training and tax revenues continue to grow."

Highlights of Iowa leaders' engagement on the RFS include :

• State and Federal elected officials, including Gov. Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds, participated in a "Defend the RFS" event.
• Gov. Branstad traveled to Washington, DC, joining a group of Iowa farmers and biofuels producers, to testify at the Federal government's only public hearing and met with EPA Administrator McCarthy.
• Gov. Branstad, Lt. Gov. Reynolds, Secretary Bill Northey and the entire Iowa congressional delegation sent a joint letter to Federal leaders advocating for the many benefits that flow from the RFS.
• Gov. Terry Branstad and Gov. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.) penned an op-ed in support of a strong Renewable Fuel Standard.
• Gov. Terry Branstad brought together a bipartisan group of six governors to sign on to a letter to President Barack Obama, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack expressing their support for a strong RFS.
• Leaders from across the Midwest joined Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds for their "Hearing in Heartland," which was open to all interested citizens; 83 panelists from across the Midwest Region spoke from the heart about the importance of the RFS to their livelihoods and a healthy rural economy while only two individuals expressed opposition to a robust RFS.
• Gov. Branstad, in his Condition of the State address, called on the Iowa Legislature to pass a resolution in support of a robust RFS. The Legislature unanimously passed bicameral, bipartisan resolutions calling for the EPA to reverse course and support a strong RFS. View the resolutions: House Resolution 101 | Senate Resolution 101
• State of Iowa leaders submitted formal comments to the EPA with current data and analysis that provides Federal leaders the opportunity and obligation to revise their initial volume obligations upward.
• Gov. Branstad testifies in support of a robust RFS before the EPA's hearing in Kansas City.
• Lt. Gov. Reynolds submits written testimony to the EPA in support of a robust RFS.

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