Gov. Pritzker Announces Four Appointments to Boards and ​ Commissions

Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes

David Goldenberg will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.* Goldenberg is the Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), overseeing the organization’s work across the Midwest. Before joining ADL, he was the Executive Vice President of Resolute Consulting, where he advised public and private sector clients on crisis communications and strategic engagement. Earlier in his career, Goldenberg spent a decade in government and politics, including as Chief of Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he worked on key initiatives to fight antisemitism, xenophobia, and religious discrimination through the U.S. Helsinki Commission and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. He was named a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow in 2021 and previously served as a trustee of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago and as a member of the Jewish Federations of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet. In addition to serving on the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, he serves on the Illinois State Treasurer’s Jewish Advisory Council. Goldenberg earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from James Madison College at Michigan State University and a Master of Arts in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University.

Illinois Executive Ethics Commission

Cynthia Ervin will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission.* Ervin is Chief Counsel for Carbohydrate Solutions at Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM), where she leads global legal strategy and operations for one of the company’s major business units. Prior to joining ADM in 2006, she served in several senior legal roles across Illinois State government, including as General Counsel for the Illinois Department of Agriculture, attorney to the Chairman of the Illinois Pollution Control Board, Assistant Attorney General, and law clerk to former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Benjamin K. Miller. Ervin earned a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University and a Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law.

Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission

Cassandra Hill will serve as a Member of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.* Hill is the Dean and a Professor of Law at Northern Illinois University (NIU) College of Law. She is the first African American woman to lead the law school. Prior to joining NIU, she held several leadership roles at Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, including Director of Legal Writing, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. A nationally recognized leader in education, Dean Hill received the 2021 Association of American Law Schools Section Award for the Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research. In 2014, she became the first African American elected to the Board of Directors of the Legal Writing Institute. She is the co-author of Legal Analysis: 100 Exercises for Mastery, a widely used text adopted by more than 25 law schools nationwide. Dean Hill graduated first in her class from Howard University School of Law, clerked for a federal district court judge, and practiced law at a major firm specializing in employee benefits. Dean Hill earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and a Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law.

Labor Advisory Board

Jerry Womick will continue to serve as a Member of the Labor Advisory Board.* Womick has dedicated his career to championing the rights of working families. He is currently the Business Manager for Laborers’ Local 773 and International Representative for the Laborers’ International Union of North America, where he negotiates contracts, manages grievances, and assists in arbitration. Womick also serves as the Treasurer of The Laborers Care Foundation. He was awarded the Award of Excellence for addressing food insecurity in his community by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Womick earned his associate degree from John A. Logan College and Bachelor of Arts in Labor and Employment Relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.

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