Governor-Elect Bruce Rauner announced the first round of state office appointments Saturday, including his nomination for the chairman of the Board of Education.
Rauner nominated former State Senator James Meeks to be the chairman of the Board of Education. Meeks is currently the pastor of Salem Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American Church.
"While a member of the Senate, Meeks was a strong voice in education, serving as the Chairman of the Senate's Education Committee," the Bruce Rauner transition committee said in a statement. "He worked hard to increase school funding and improve the quality of education for all students."
For the position of secretary with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Rauner nominated Randy Blankenhorn, who has been the head of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) since 2006. Blankenhorn worked for IDOT for 22 years previously.
Former State Representative Jeff Mays (R-96th) has been nominated for the position of director at the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
John Maki has been nominated for the position of executive director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Maki is currently the executive director of the John Howard Association of Illinois.
Edward McMillan has been nominated for membership in the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. McMillan is currently finishing his first term on the board, so Rauner is electing to re-appoint him.
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Candice Jones has been nominated for the position of director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice. Jones has already been serving in this position for the past year under Pat Quinn's administration.
