Congresswoman Duckworth Announces Formation of Advisory Committees

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) announced that she convened advisory committees on issues of importance to the 8th Congressional District. Congresswoman Duckworth established the committees to hear firsthand from her constituents and encourage more members of the community to give their input on the future of 8th Congressional District, Illinois and the nation. The committees include: Small Business, Manufacturing, Asian Americans, Education and Immigration. Constituents are selected based on their leadership in the community and character. Members are expected to serve for one year and each committee will convene on a quarterly basis.

"As representative of the 8th Congressional District, it is my first responsibility and priority to advocate in Washington for the issues my neighbors care about," said Duckworth. "I know the members of our advisory committees have unique insights into the challenges facing our communities and will provide invaluable contributions and service."

Congresswoman Duckworth will be adding new committees and members during the coming months.

Advisory Committee on Small Business

Teresa Faidley

Senior Vice President, Wintrust Bank

Linda Ballatine

Executive Director, Rolling Meadows Chamber of Commerce

Jane Hove

President & CEO, Bloomingdale Chamber of Commerce

Carol Gieske

President, Elgin Chamber of Commerce

Kitty Pon

President, Pactrans Air & Sea

Tom Cassell

Director, Illinois Small Business Development Center

Laura Ortega

Executive Director of the International Business Council, Illinois Chamber of Commerce

John Berley

Director of Community Development, Addison Chamber of Commerce

John Katsantonis

Marketing Communication Manager, Hunter Foundry Machinery Corporation

Advisory Committee on Manufacturing

Paul G. Kuchuris, Jr.

President, Association for Manufacturing Excellence

William Merchantz

NIMS Teacher, Elk Grove High School

Rick Delawder

President, SWD

Todd Surritte

Vice President, OSG Tap & Die, Inc.

Rand Haas

Business Community Leader, Veterans Rapid Employment Initiative and Schaumburg Business Association

Diana Peters

Executive Director, Symbol Training Institute

Advisory Committee on Asian American Community

Tuyet Lee

Executive Director, Asians Americans Advancing Justice

George Mui

Vice President of Programming, Organization of Chinese Americans

Inhe Choi

Interim Executive Director, Korean American Resource & Cultural Center

Karen Eng

President, CSMI

Raja Krishnamoorthi

President, Episensors

Advisory Committee on Education

Ken Ender

President, Harper College

Kathi Griffin

Vice President, Illinois NEA/Illinois Federation of Teachers

Cynthia Garcia

Executive Director, Northwest Educational Council for Student Success

Jane Russell

President, West Suburban Teachers Union, Local 571

Dr. Joseph Collins

Executive Vice President, College of DuPage

Amy Pratt

Associate Director, OSEP/STEM Northwestern University

Guray Taysever

Executive Director, Turkish American Society School

Dr. David Sam

President, Elgin Community College

Advisory Committee on Immigration

Shirley Sadjadi

Attorney, Private Office

Jaime Garcia

Executive Director, Centro de Información

Eira Corral

Village Clerk, Village of Hanover Park

Emily Gray

Executive Director, World Relief DuPage

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