The Honorable Emil Jones, Jr.
Illinois Senate President

The Honorable Michael J. Madigan
Speaker of the Illinois House

A member of the Illinois General Assembly since 1973, President Jones is an independent-minded and progressive legislator with a solid reputation of fairness and advocacy for not only the disadvantaged, but for all Illinois citizens. He is a strong proponent of social justice and fair and adequate funding of public education in Illinois. A member of the House of Representatives until 1983, President Jones served as an Assistant Democratic Leader and Chairman of the Insurance Committee during that time. He was elected to the Senate in 1982 and elected Senate President in 2002. He currently is a member of the Senate Executive Committee, and he served as Vice-Chairman of the General Assembly Retirement System’s Board of Trustees. He has been a strong supporter of education issues, and he has fought for and passed legislation to double the personal exemption on the state income tax to benefit working families. President Jones has been recognized by numerous educational, business, and labor organizations for his legislative and community endeavors. Senator Jones attended Roosevelt University and majored in Business Administration. He received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Chicago State University for his considerable contributions to public service and for promoting greater educational opportunities at the University.

As the elected Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 92 nd General Assembly on January 10, 2001, Michael J. Madigan had previously held that position from 1983 until 1994. He served as House Majority Leader from 1977 through 1980.His work in the legislature consistently has been recognized with honors and distinctions from a wide range of civic, community, educational, and business organizations. The Chicago Sun-Times twice rated him as one of Illinois’ "Ten Best Legislators". The respected Illinois Issues Magazine cited him as one of the ten outstanding Illinoisans who made the greatest contribution to the state in the past decade. Voters in 22nd Representative District first elected him as their delegate to the 1970 Constitutional Convention and then as State Representative in November 1970. He has won reelection in every election since 1970. A graduate of Loyola University Law School, Speaker Madigan practices law in Chicago. He was born in the southwest-side district he now represents. A lifelong resident of Chicago, he is a graduate of St. Ignatius High School and the University of Notre Dame. As Speaker, Madigan has worked to build consensus and bring equitable treatment to all regions of the state. In recent sessions, he worked to reduce partisan disputes. His efforts include the unprecedented act of naming minority party members to chair House committees.

Vice-Chairs

The Honorable Mattie Hunter
Illinois State Senator

The Honorable Arnette R. Hubbard
Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County

Appointed in 2003 to replace retiring Senator Margaret Smith, Senator Hunter serves as Vice-Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and is a member of the Senate Local Government and State Government Committees. She also is a program manager for the City of Chicago’s Department of Human Services. Prior to her appointment as a legislator, Senator Hunter served in numerous capacities with the Human Resources Development Institute, Inc. During her eight-year tenure with the Institute, Senator Hunter served a term as Vice-President in the Office of External Affairs. For two years, she was the managing director for the Center for Health and Human Services in Johannesburg, South Africa, and participated in numerous health and human services conferences in that nation. A certified alcohol and drug counselor and prevention specialist, Senator Hunter is a graduate of Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. She has a master’s in sociology from Jackson State University in Mississippi and a business administration certificate from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Senator Hunter has received the Humanitarian Award from the Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Kizzy Award the Distinguished Leadership Award from God First Ministries.

Long tenured in law and public service, Judge Hubbard presides in the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. She is past president of the Cook County Bar Association and the National Bar Association. Presently, Judge Hubbard is a member of the consultative group of the American Law Institute, which is in the process of drafting the latest restatement of the law of agency. Judge Hubbard earned her Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School, which has honored her with its Distinguished Alumnus Citation. She earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry and mathematics from Southern Illinois University. Judge Hubbard received the school’s Distinguished Alumni Award and was installed in its Distinguished Alumni Wall of Fame. She is a past president of the 160,000 member SIU Alumni Association. Judge Hubbard said she highly values the opportunity presented by her appointment as Vice-Chair of this historic Commission to help achieve its mission and, thereby, help to further Illinois commitment to educate all children and to highlight the value of democracy.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley

Joe Ahern
CBS/WBBM-TV

Dr. Frances Carroll
Illinois Board of Higher Education

Frank Clark
ComEd

James Compton
Chicago Urban League

Dr. Elnora D. Daniel
Chicago State University

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans
Circuit Court of Cook County

Reverend Dr. Leon Finney, Ph.D.
The Woodlawn Organization

Christie Hefner
Playboy International

Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
Rainbow/PUSH

Vernon Jarrett *
NABJ - Chicago Defender

Iris A. Johnson
NAACP State Conference

Linda Johnson-Rice
Johnson Publications

Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee
Olympic Gold Medalist

David Milliner
Real Times

James D. Montgomery
Attorney

Doris J. Odem
Cooperative Extension
University of Illinois

Riley Owens, III
Conference of Black Mayors

Dr. Kay Pangle
Regional Superintendent of Education

Howard Peters
Illinois Hospital Association

Jay Robert Pritzker
Hyatt Corporation

Former Governor James R.Thompson
Winston & Strawn

Reverend Stephen J. Thurston
National Baptist Convention

Dr. James E. Walker
Southern Illinois University

Illinois Commission on the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education

Co-Chairs
Illinois Senate President - The Honorable Emil Jones, Jr.
Illinois House Speaker - The Honorable Michael J. Madigan
Vice-Chairs
Senator Mattie Hunter
Judge Arnette R. Hubbard

Contact: Executive Director Ollie McLemore
Illinois Commission on the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
Chicago State University
9501 S. King Drive, ADM 300
Chicago, Illinois 60628-1598
v.773/995-3608 f. 773/995-4470

Email Ollie McLemore