Gov. Pritzker Announces Eleven Appointments to Boards and Commissions

Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Board

Michael Clark will continue to serve as a Member of the Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Board.* Clark is a seasoned Safety Consultant with over 20 years of experience in the amusement industry. He is the president of MC Safety Consulting which provides consulting and inspection services to amusement parks, water parks, and trampoline parks. Previously, Clark held various leadership roles with The Walt Disney Company, Universal Parks and Resorts, and Six Flags Theme Parks. Additionally, he worked as a Risk Consultant in the insurance industry. Clark is qualified to provide third party inspections in all fifty states and holds a National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials (NAARSO) Level II (Advanced) inspector certification. He is a member of the ASTM Committee F24 on Amusement Rides and Devices, International Association of Amusement Rides and Attractions, AIMS International, and NAARSO. Clark earned a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Business Administration from Webster University.

Labor Advisory Board

Pamela Monetti will continue to serve as a Member of the Labor Advisory Board.* Monetti currently serves as the State Director for Rural Development in Illinois for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In this role, she oversees 11 state offices and nearly 70 employees. She previously served as the Public Relations Marketing Specialist with Globe Life Insurance Company. Monetti serves on the Board of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy and is a member of the President Bunker Hill Educational Foundation. Monetti earned an Associate of Arts degree from Lewis & Clark Community College and a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts from the University of Illinois Springfield.

Scott Cruz will continue to serve as a Member of the Labor Advisory Board.* Cruz has over 20 years of legal experience in employment and labor law. He is currently a Shareholder at UB-Greensfelder, LLP representing both public and private sector employers. Cruz also serves on the Board of the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce. In recognition of his efforts, he received the Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment Start Award and has been recognized as Crain Chicago’s Notable Minority Executives in Accounting, Consulting and Law. Cruz earned a Bachelor of Arts from Marquette University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois.

State Mining Board

Bernard Harsy will continue to serve as a Member of the State Mining Board.* Harsy began his fifty-year career as a coal miner at Consol Coal Co. in Cutler, Illinois. He held many responsibilities during that time, including dozer operator, drill helper, truck driver, shovel oiler, and dragline groundman. He served as president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Local 1825 for 22 years and was Chairman of the Mine Safety Committee. He retired as an equipment operator in 2012 from Operating Engineers Local 520. Harsy graduated from Southern Illinois University Vocational Technical Institute.

Workers’ Compensation Commission

Raychel Wesley will continue to serve as a Commissioner of the Workers’ Compensation Commission.* Before her appointment as a Commissioner, Wesley served as an Arbitrator on the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. She previously worked for a workers’ compensation firm for over twenty years and as a staff attorney at Prairie State Legal Services, serving underprivileged litigants. Wesley is a founding member of the Black Bar Association of Will County, Will County Women’s Bar Association, National Hook-Up of Black Women, City of Joliet Community Relations Advisory Board, and the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association. Wesley earned a Bachelor of Science and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University.

Stephen Mathis will continue to serve as a Commissioner of the Workers’ Compensation Commission.* Mathis has served as a Commissioner since his initial appointment in 2014. Previously, he served as an Arbitrator on the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and as Legal Counsel and Staff Analyst at the Illinois State Senate. Mathis earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of South Florida and a Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School.

Deborah Simpson will continue to serve as a Commissioner of the Workers’ Compensation Commission.* Simpson began her career in the Assistant State’s Attorney’s Office, first in Vermilion County and later in Kane County. She began working as an Assistant Attorney General in the General Law Bureau and supervised the labor unit. She was appointed as an Arbitrator on the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission in 2011 before she was appointed as a Commissioner in 2017. Simpson earned a Bachelor of Arts from DePaul University and a Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School.

Christopher Harris will continue to serve as a Commissioner of the Workers’ Compensation Commission.* Before his appointment as Commissioner, Harris served as an Arbitrator on the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. Prior to his work with the state, he was the owner of Shield Law Firm where he represented corporations and individuals in civil litigation, corporate transactions, and real estate matters. Harris also worked at Archer Law Group, Johnson & Harris, and International Services, Inc., and was a volunteer arbitrator with the Cook County Arbitration Center. Harris earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois.

Carolyn Doherty will continue to serve as a Commissioner of the Workers’ Compensation Commission.* Doherty has served on the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission in several capacities since 1998. Prior to her work as a Commissioner, Doherty served as an Arbitrator for 10 years. She also worked as a staff attorney for 9 years. She has used her extensive experience to train and mentor newly appointed Arbitrators. Before her career in the public sector, Doherty practiced at several private firms with an emphasis on insurance coverage and litigation. She is also a member of the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers’ Association. Doherty earned a Bachelor of Arts from Marquette University and a Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School.

Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission

Erica Zunkel will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission.* Zunkel is a Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the Criminal and Juvenile Justice at the University of Chicago. Under her supervision, law students represent indigent individuals in trial courts, on appeal, and in post-conviction proceedings, and pursue policy and impact projects to effect system change. Previously, Zunkel was a federal public defender in California and a law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Martha Vázquez in New Mexico. Zunkel earned a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor from the University of California-Berkeley School of Law.

Vanessa del Valle will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission.* Del Valle serves as a Partner at Kaplan & Grady where she leads the civil rights practice. She previously served as a Clinical Associate Professor of Law in the Bluhm Legal Clinic within the MacArthur Justice Center at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. She has been recognized by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Federal Bar Association, and was given the Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service. Del Valle earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale University and a Juris Doctor from Stanford University.

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.

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