Names Secretary of Department of Human Services Michelle R.B. Saddler to Key Administration Post

CHICAGO - August 24, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today named Michelle R.B. Saddler as his Chief of Staff. Saddler previously served as the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS). Prior to serving as Secretary of DHS, Saddler was the Director of Policy for the Quinn Administration and has held a number of key management and policy positions in the public and private sectors.

"Michelle Saddler is one of the most knowledgeable and dedicated members of my cabinet, and I look forward to having her serve as my Chief of Staff," said Governor Quinn. "There is no one better-suited to continue my mission of creating jobs, supporting Illinois' economic recovery and protecting our most vulnerable residents."

Saddler was appointed by Governor Quinn to be Secretary of DHS on Oct. 11, 2009. The agency, one of the state's largest, provides integrated services to individuals, families and communities for developmental disabilities, mental health, rehabilitation services and alcoholism and substance abuse, among others.

While at DHS, Saddler was charged with implementing a number of Governor Quinn's top initiatives, including the Put Illinois to Work program. The program was one of the largest and most successful in the nation and has put more than 26,000 people to work in subsidized temporary jobs. Additionally, under Saddler's leadership, the agency drew down an additional $250 million in federal funds for human services.

Before being named policy chief for the Quinn Administration, Saddler served in a number of policy and management positions in both the public and private sectors. Her past positions include Vice President for International Adoptions for the Lifelink Corporation and Executive Director of the Illinois Metropolitan Investment Fund. She also served as Director of Investments with then-Illinois State Treasurer Quinn and is a Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of Protestants for the Common Good.

Saddler earned her bachelor's degree from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and has a master's in management from Northwestern University's J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where received the F.C. Austin Scholarship - the school's highest merit award. (Additional background information is attached.)

"I look forward to continuing to serve and care for the people of Illinois as Governor Quinn's Chief of Staff," said Saddler. "I will work to continue the important partnerships with our legislators, employees, providers and advocacy groups."

Current DHS Assistant Secretary Grace Hou will serve as the agency's Acting Secretary. Prior to her work at DHS, Hou was Executive Director of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, a non-profit social service agency that serves Chinese immigrants and refugees.

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CHICAGO - The Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that six distinguished Illinoisans have joined the board. They are: Joel F. Henning, Diane L. Nyhammer, Thomas C. Pavlik, John H. Peterson, Robert P. Scales and Theodoros G. Zervas.  On July 1st, each member began a three-year term and is eligible for two more terms.  

Joel F. Henning is a lawyer, consultant and writer. He is principal of Joel Henning & Associates. His firm consults throughout the world with law firms, corporate law departments and government agencies. For more than 20 years he has written cultural columns for The Wall Street Journal. He is a regular lecturer at several law schools including The University of Chicago and Northwestern University. His books include Holistic Running, Maximizing Law Firm Profitability and Law-Related Education in America. Joel has been a trustee of Columbia College of Chicago and served on several not-for-profit boards including the ACLU of Illinois. He was Chairman of the Governor's Commission on Financing the Arts in Illinois, a member of the Illinois Arts Council, the American Theatre Critics' Association, and the Joseph Jefferson (theatrical) Awards Committee. Joel is a member of the American Law Institute, the American Bar Foundation and has served in the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association.

Diane L. Nyhammer is Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Rock Valley College, Rockford, IL. Previously, she was the Executive Dean of Humanities, Distance Education, and Professional Development at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, IL.  She has also worked as an Assistant Director for Academic Affairs at the Illinois Board of Higher Education, Assistant Director of Accreditation Services at the Higher Learning Commission, and Dean of Arts and Sciences at Colorado Mountain College.  She continues to serve as a peer reviewer and as an Assessment Academy mentor for the Higher Learning Commission.  Diane's community service includes serving on the boards of the Mid-America Horse Show Association, the Burpee Museum of Natural History, the American Association of Learning in Higher Education, and the OSF St. Anthony Hospital advisory board.  Diane has a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Loyola University and a Master's in English from Northern Illinois University.

Thomas C. Pavlik is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, is admitted to practice law in Illinois, Texas and Ohio. Tom graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1989, and from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1992. In law school, he served as Senior Editor of the Notre Dame Law Review and graduated Magna Cum Laude. After graduation, he clerked for Chief Justice Benjamin K. Miller of the Illinois Supreme Court, and in 1993 began his private practice as an associate in the Dallas office of international law firm Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. He then practiced with Figari & Davenport, LLP, a cutting edge litigation boutique, where he concentrated on both plaintiff and defense sides of complex commercial litigation. Tom joined his family firm, Delano Law Offices, LLC, in 1999. His practice is concentrated in the areas of general business law, real estate, employment matters and commercial litigation. In his capacity as Special Assistant Attorney General, he represents the State of Illinois in eminent domain proceedings. Tom is a monthly legal affairs columnist for the Springfield Business Journal and is a regular legal affairs commentator for News Channel 20. He is or has been a board member of numerous Springfield civic and religious organizations, including currently serving as incoming President of the YMCA Board of Directors and on the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army. In 2001, Tom was also recognized as one of Springfield's "Forty Under Forty" business and community leaders.

John H. Peterson is a Vice President in Public Finance at William Blair & Company, where he works with non-profit cultural, social and educational organizations, and municipalities to raise tax-exempt capital. Deeply committed to the humanities, he has pursued avocational interests in music, literature and the arts, as a Trustee of Interlochen Center for the Arts and as a member of various library support groups including currently the Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago Libraries. He has taught classes at the Newberry Library on the American poets Robert Frost, Richard Wilbur, James Merrill and Elizabeth Bishop. He holds a BA cum laude from Amherst and has two Master of Arts degrees from the University of Chicago, one in Public Policy Studies and the other in the Humanities.

Robert P. Scales graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Philosophy, and afterward went to law school at Lewis and Clark College of Law in Portland, Oregon. He has had a life-long devotion to the humanities and to music, and is now completing his master's degree in Liberal Arts at the University of Chicago. Bob has practiced law in Chicago for 30 years, first at the Securities and Exchange Commission, and later at a law firm, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and a brokerage house.  At present, he is general counsel of the Acorn Funds, a $24 billion family of mutual funds.  In addition to his law practice, Bob taught at Chicago-Kent College of Law, and is a frequent speaker at fund industry conferences. He lives in Winnetka with his wife, Mary Keefe, and two teenage boys, Sam and Emmet.  

Theodoros (Ted) G. Zervas was born in Chicago to immigrant parents from Greece. He received his BA in History and Political Science from DePaul University, MA in History with Distinction from DePaul, MSED from Northwestern University's School of Education and Ph.D. in Cultural and Educational Policy Studies for Loyola University Chicago. Prior to North Park, Ted taught World and European history in the regular, honors and International Baccalaureate program at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago. While at Lincoln Park, Ted also taught as a part-time teaching associate at Northwestern University. In 2006, Ted was appointed Director/Assistant Professor of the Master of Arts Program and Teacher Certification (MATC) at North Park University in Chicago and continues to work in this position today. His academic papers have been published in both the United States and Europe. Ted has also been a visiting professor of History at Instituto Technologico Y De Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Chihuahua, Mexico. Ted enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with family and friends. Currently Ted lives in the Northwest side of Chicago
"We are so pleased to add Joel, Diane, Tom, John, Bob, and Ted to our board of directors," said Kristina A.Valaitis, IHC Executive Director. "They each bring a deep appreciation of the humanities, knowledge of Illinois, and individual creativity and expertise to the organization."

Currently, 32 members comprise the Illinois Humanities Council Board of Directors.  They are:

Alton B. Harris (Chicago), Chair; Danielle Allen (Chicago); Matti Bunzl (Champaign); Rodrigo del Canto (Chicago); Michael C. Dorf (Chicago); Deborah Epstein (Chicago); Stuart Flack (Chicago); Adam P. Green (Chicago); Joel F. Henning (Chicago); J. Paul Hunter (Chicago); Falona Joy (Chicago); Thomas E. Kallen (Chicago); Gary Koch (Springfield); Greg Koos (Bloomington); Robert F. Lipman (Evanston); Grayson Mitchell (Chicago); Anita Nagler (Chicago); James M. Newcomb (Wilmette); Diane L. Nyhammer (Rockford); Thomas C. Pavlik (Springfield); John H. Peterson (Chicago); Gordon Quinn (Chicago); Robert P. Scales (Chicago); Gerald Skoning (Chicago); Roger L. Taylor (Galesburg); David Thigpen (Chicago); Nancy Tom (Chicago); Maria (Nena) Torres (Chicago); Kay Torshen (Chicago); The Honorable George Van Dusen (Skokie); John A. Wing (Evanston); and Theodoros G. Zervas (Chicago).

The IHC accepts public nominations for new Board members throughout the year. For more information about the IHC, call 312.422.5580 or visit http://www.prairie.org/ <http://www.prairie.org/> .

The Illinois Humanities Council is a nonprofit educational organization [501 (c) 3] dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. Organized in 1973 as the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.

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Trinity Episcopal Cathedral welcomes The Center for Living Arts, as they present "GODSPELL" on Sunday, September 19 at 2 p.m.

The Center for Living Arts has been performing GODSPELL to local churches since January 2004. The cast includes Dino Hayz (Jesus), Tom Vaccaro (John the Baptist/Judas), Crista Ashcraft, David Burke, Gordon Ehler, Lisa Ehler, Nicole Gabriel, Tina Hayz, and Rachelle Walljasper. The live pit includes Terry Reiter (drums), John Korn(keyboard), and Alan Morrison (guitar/bass).

GODSPELL was conceived and originally directed by John Michael Tebelak, and offers music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. It is based primarily on the Gospel According to St. Matthew, in which the audience sees the parables of Jesus come humanly and hearteningly to life. The show also touchingly presents the story of Jesus' last moments beginning with the Last Supper.

The production uses scarce sets and focuses more of the story of a group of people coming together to create a loving community. The messages of peace, love and forgiveness dominate this uplifting, entertaining and touching story.

The public is invited to attend. A freewill offering will benefit the Churches United and their feeding ministries in the Quad Cities.

For more information please contact Jean McGee at jeanwmcgee@yahoo.com

Mark Your Calendar!  Tom Cordaro , author of "Be Not Afraid," is presenting a Seminar: Be not Afraid: An Alternative to the War on Terror, Living Unafraid: a Biblical Path to Freedom.

Tom has worked for many years at the National level of Pax Christi. He organized anti-war disarmament, economic justice and peace campaigns. Tom has a Masters Degree in pastoral studies from St. Thomas University, Miami, Fl.

• Seminar Date: Sat. Sept 11, 2010 from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

• Place: St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa in the New Hall Building lower level at the corner of Gaines and Lombard Streets. Parking is available across Gaines St.

• Early registration: $8.00. Call Ollie 563-332-1007 - at the door $10.00 Students with ID free.

• Sponsors: Pax Christi QC, Sisters of Humility, Davenport, IA, Sisters of St. Benedict, Rock Island, IL, Ambrosians for Peace and Justice, Davenport, IA.

Be Not Afraid;  An Alternative to the "War on Terror", Tom Cordaro

Grounded in history and a faith tradition, Be Not Afraid invites us to overcome the narrative of fear in our country promoted by the "War on Terror" and the attacks of September 11, 2001. Instead, we are called to embrace an alternative narrative of hope and freedom. This alternative requires that we, as individuals and as community members, act to reclaim the civic and religious principles at the core of our national story, principles that can build genuine peace rooted in justice at home and around the world

Named "Best Book by a Small Publisher" in 2008 by the Catholic Press Association and "Peacemaker of the Year" award from the Independent Publishers.

We are often told that the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, changed everything and that we must support an endless, ongoing "War on Terror." But is this what we are called to as Christians? What if we chose a different path? What if the fear-based story?the narrative?we are asked to believe is not the only alternative?

In this challenging book, long-time peace activist Tom Cordaro helps us first to understand terrorism in a historical context and to examine the story we are told we must believe after 9-11. Then, he outlines what the creation of an alternative story might look like.

We need to tell such a different story, one grounded in the underappreciated and often unacknowledged U.S. history of a democratic republic founded on principles and ideals now under attack by the "War on Terror," a story that continues the work-in-progress of our country, a nation continually striving to more fully live up to its ideals. This alternative story is based not on fear or on a view of peace as enforced order, but on the concept of peace as an enterprise of justice. We need to tell this different story, a story linked to our great Christian narrative: the hope and promise of God as revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

This book invites us to overcome the narrative of fear in our country. It invites us instead to embrace a narrative of hope and to play an active role, as individuals and as members of a community, in reclaiming our U.S. story from those who would seek to delete it.

Updated and reissued 2010--with a new preface addressing the Obama Administration.