Council on Women and Girls, Illinois
Board and Commission Details
Function
The Council shall advise the Governor and the General Assembly on policy issues impacting women and girls in this State, including, but not limited to, the following goals: (1) To advance the role and civic participation of women and girls in the State; (2) To put in place programs and advocate polices that work to end the gender pay gap and discrimination in professional and academic opportunities; (3) To promote resources and opportunities for academic and professional growth; (4) To allow women and young girls to have legal protections and recourse in cases of sexual harassment in the workplace; (5) To prevent and protect women from domestic violence; (6) To provide proper standards of healthcare, and to study the disparate impacts on women as it pertains to diverse demographics; (7) To promote increased access to reproductive healthcare; (8) To protect women who are transgender from violence and harassment, and increase their fair and equal access to culturally competent health care, housing, employment, and other opportunities (9) To disseminate information and build relationships between State agencies and commissions in furtherance of the Council’s goals under this Act; and 10) To give significant attention to the inclusion of women of color in decision-making capacities and identifying barriers toward parity, and for leadership inclusion that works to realize American’s founding principles of equity and opportunity for all.
Term
2 years
Senate Confirmation
No
Compensation
None
Composition
The Council shall consist of 21 members. The Governor shall appoint one member to be representative of the Office of the Governor. The Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives shall also each appoint 4 public members to the Council. The Governor shall select the chairperson of the Council from among the members. The following officials shall serve as ex officio members: the Lieutenant Governor, or his or her designee, and the Chief of the Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Services within the Department of Human Services, or his or her designee. Additionally, the Director, Executive Director or Superintendent of the following State agencies shall each appoint one liaison to serve as an ex officio member of the Council: the Department on Aging, the Department of Human Rights, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Labor, the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and the Illinois Community College Board.
Authority
20 ILCS 5130/15
Member Names
| Name | Member Expiration | Member Since | Affiliation | Appointed By | Position | Title | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurtado, Isabella | 11/13/2025 | 01/16/2024 | Governor | Office of the Governor Representative | Cook | ||
| Ahn, Kaylyn | 09/20/2025 | 07/07/2023 | Governor | Public Member | Cook | ||
| Richards, Nikita | 03/08/2025 | 03/08/2019 | Governor | Public Member | McLean | ||
| Espina, Veronica | 04/17/2025 | 03/08/2019 | Governor | Public Member | Sangamon | ||
| Rice, Alexa | 12/10/2023 | 12/13/2021 | Governor | Public Member | |||
| Crump, Rochelle | 03/12/2019 | President of the Senate | Public Member | Cook | |||
| VACANT | President of the Senate | Public Member | |||||
| Jaffer, Amina | 03/12/2019 | President of the Senate | Public Member | DuPage | |||
| Collins, Sylvia | 03/12/2019 | President of the Senate | Public Member | Cook | |||
| Blakley, Felicia Davis | 10/20/2022 | Speaker of the House | Public Member | ||||
| Mozaffer, Maaria | 03/01/2019 | Speaker of the House | Public Member | ||||
| Pollack, Wendy | 03/01/2019 | Speaker of the House | Public Member | ||||
| Hoffer, Kaethe Morris | 03/01/2019 | Speaker of the House | Public Member | ||||
| Thomas, Rhonda | 03/21/2019 | Minority Leader of the House | Public Member | ||||
| Forthofer, Theresa | 03/21/2019 | Minority Leader of the House | Public Member | ||||
| Kutlesa, Ines | 03/21/2019 | Minority Leader of the House | Public Member | ||||
| VACANT | Minority Leader of the House | Public Member | |||||
| VACANT | Minority Leader of the Senate | Public Member | |||||
| Althoff, Pamela | 03/21/2021 | 03/21/2019 | Minority Leader of the Senate | Public Member | |||
| Vacant | Minority Leader of the Senate | Public Member | |||||
| VACANT | Minority Leader of the Senate | Public Member | |||||
| Stratton, Lt. Governor | 02/25/2019 | Statute | Ex-Officio, Chair | Lieutenant Governor | |||
| Fieske-Nesheiwat, Agata | Statute | Ex-Officio | Chief of the Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Services | ||||
| Williams, LaRhonda | Statute | Ex-Officio | Department on Aging Liasion | ||||
| Smith, Chris | Statute | Ex-Officio | Department of Human Rights Liasion | ||||
| Courts, Marla | Statute | Ex-Officio | Department of Children and Family Services Liasion | ||||
| Whitehorn, Lizzy | Statute | Ex-Officio | Department of Healthcare and Family Services Liasion | ||||
| Lightner, Shannon | Statute | Ex-Officio | Department of Public Health Liasion | ||||
| Faz-Huppert, Marina | Statute | Ex-Officio | Department of Labor Liasion | ||||
| Matthews, Jaclyn | Statute | Ex-Officio | Illinois State Board of Education Liasion | ||||
| Ostro, Ginger | Statute | Ex-Officio | Illinois Board of Higher Education Liasion | ||||
| Allan, Natasha | 01/17/2023 | Statute | Ex-Officio | Illinois Community College Board Liasion |