Gov. Pritzker Announces Five Appointments to Boards and Commissions

Children and Family Services Advisory Council

Garvin Ambrose will serve as a Member of the Children and Family Services Advisory Council.* Ambrose currently serves as Chief of Staff to Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke. Previously, Ambrose served as Chief of the Bureau of Administrative Services at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Earlier in his career, Ambrose served as Chief of Staff to the Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and as Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County. Active in his community, Ambrose currently serves on the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Character and Fitness, the Advisory Board of the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, and 100 Black Men of Chicago, a youth mentoring organization. Previously, Ambrose was appointed by Governor Dannel Malloy of Connecticut as State Victim Advocate, serving as Chair of Connecticut’s first Victims’ Rights Enforcement Advisory Commission. Ambrose earned his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Southeast Missouri State University and his Juris Doctorate from Thomas M. Colley Law School.

Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes

Rebecca Weininger will serve as a Member of the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Weininger currently serves as Senior Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Midwest Region. Previously, she served as Director of the Domestic Violence Law Practice at the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic. There, she led a team representing survivors of sexual and domestic violence in addressing the root causes of community violence. Weininger began her career as a litigator, representing survivors of torture from international conflicts and women fleeing international domestic violence. Weininger earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and Hispanic Studies from Vassar College and her Juris Doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law, now Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal

Brian Barov will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal.* Barov currently serves as Administrative Law Judge on the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal, having first been appointed in 2014. In this role, he has played an active role in creating the Tribunal’s policies and practices, and he presided over open tax cases. Previously, Barov served as Assistant Illinois Attorney General, representing the State on matters of taxation, revenue, labor, environmental, and civil rights law. Barov earned his Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from College of William and Mary and his Juris Doctorate from Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Illinois Labor Relations Board

Julie Curry will serve as Chair & Member of the Illinois Labor Relations Board.* Curry most recently served as President of her Mount Zion consulting firm, Curry and Associates, LLC. Previously, Curry served as Vice President of Illinois Strategies, LLC. Prior to her consulting career, Curry served as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the Governor. A former elected official, Curry served as Representative of the 101^st District in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 and as Macon County Treasurer from 1990 to 1994. Widely recognized for her service in Illinois, Curry received the Senator Penny Severns Leadership and Integrity Award, the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois Diamond Award for Leadership, and the Eastern Illinois University Outstanding Graduate Alumnus Award. Curry earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and her Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration from Eastern Illinois University.

Illinois Pollution Control Board

Aakruti Liva will serve as a Member of the Illinois Pollution Control Board.* Liva most recently served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, focusing on chemical safety regulations. Before that, Liva served as Environmental Protection Specialist with U.S. EPA and as Regulatory Counsel with Stateside Associates. Active in her community, Liva serves on the LaGrange Illinois Environmental Quality Commission and as a local Girl Scout Troop Leader. Liva earned her Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and Sociology from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her Juris Doctorate with a certificate in Environmental and Energy Law from Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Liva’s appointment is effective July 15, 2026.

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.

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