Gov. Pritzker Announces Six Appointments to Boards and Commissions ​

Guardianship and Advocacy Commission

Garvin Ambrose will serve as a Member of Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.* Ambrose is Chief of the Bureau of Administrative Services at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Prior to this role, Ambrose served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County from 2005 to 2013, and then as Chief of Staff to the Cook County State’s Attorney from 2014 to 2016. Ambrose was previously appointed by Governor Dannel Malloy of Connecticut to be a State Victim Advocate and served from March 2013 to July 2014. In that role he advocated for, was instrumental in the creation of, and served as Chairman of Connecticut’s first Victims’ Rights Enforcement Advisory Commission (VREAC). Ambrose is a member of the 100 Black Men of Chicago, a youth mentoring organization, an Advisory Board member of the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Kids Above All. He was a 2016 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2019 class of Emerging Leaders. Ambrose served as a member of former Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke’s Judicial Selection Committee from June 2019 until October 2022 and is a member of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Character & Fitness. Ambrose earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Southeast Missouri State University and a Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. ​

Illinois Racing Board

Benjamin Reyes will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Racing Board.* Reyes has over 30 years of experience in finance and construction. He is the founder of DSR Group, Inc., a Hispanic-owned company that provides construction management services. Since 2003, he has led a team of construction professionals who manage planning, design, and construction activities for public and private organizations throughout the Chicagoland area. Previously, he served as CEO and Board Member at Millennium 3, LLC., Senior Vice President of Urban Investment Trust, Inc., Executive Director of the Public Building Commission for the City of Chicago, Chief Operating Officer for Chicago Public Schools, and a Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of General Services. He has also served on numerous boards including the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, First Bank Chicago, and is a member and chair of the National Urban Fellows, a not-for-profit organization that provides minorities and women with fellowships that lead to a Master of Public Administration degree. Reyes has received the Man of the Year award from Villa Guadalupe and the Community Leadership Award from the Latino Institute. Reyes received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Lottery Control Board

Sarah Alter will continue to serve as a Member of the Lottery Control Board.* Alter has over 20 years of experience transforming organizations by operationalizing and commercializing their growth strategies through brand and customer experience journeys. Alter currently serves as President/CEO of NextUp Chicago. While in this role, she advances all women in business by partnering with over 900 companies. Alter and her team oversee leadership development and networking opportunities for over 18,000 members in 21 regions across North America. Prior to leading NextUp, Alter gained valuable experience at Staples and Discover Financial by transforming their marketing, sale, and digital technology platforms. Alter received a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.

Quad Cities Regional Economic Development Authority

Paul Schmitt will serve as a Member of the Quad Cities Regional Economic Development Authority.* Schmitt has almost two decades of Wealth and Trust Management. He currently serves as the Senior Wealth Management Officer 1^st Vice President for Quad City Bank and Trust Company. While in this role he administers agency, custody, and trust accounts for high net-worth portfolios. Schmitt is a Board member of the Salvation Army of the Quad Cities and Davenport, and of the Youth Service Bureau of Rock County. Schmitt received a Bachelor of Science from Creighton University.

Teachers Retirement System Board of Trustees

Michael Goetz will continue to serve as a Member of the Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees.* Goetz retired from the Laborers Home Development as Executive Director in 2019. While in this role he managed the financing, development, and management of 872 units of affordable housing. Prior to being Executive Director, he served as the Midwest Region Tri-Fund Coordinator for the Laborers International Union where he advised and managed education services for the Tast-Hartly Pension Fund. He has served on several boards including the Illinois State Board of Investment and was the Vice Chair of the Illinois Finance Authority. Goetz received a Bachelor of Science from Eastern Illinois University.

Will Kankakee Regional Development Authority

Brian Shanahan will continue to serve as a Member of the Will Kankakee Regional Development Authority.* Shanahan has been a dedicated leader of the Transportation Communications Union (TCU)/International Association of Machinists (IAM) for over a decade. His journey began in 2008 as a clerk at Metra, where he swiftly rose through the ranks due to his passion for union advocacy and representation. He was then promoted to the TCU/IAM National Representative in 2016. He served in this role until he was elected as a TCU/IAM National Vice President at the beginning of 2021 and re-elected at the 2022 TCU/IAM Convention. IAM International President Brian Bryant appointed Shanahan to the IAM’s International Railroad Coordinator position to help oversee the newly created IAM Rail Division that will jointly represent the interests of TCU/IAM and IAM District 19. Shanahan’s tenure at TCU/IAM included overseeing clerical and intermodal workers at nearly a dozen rail carriers. He currently serves as a member on the Illinois High-Speed Rail Commission and was first appointed to the Will Kankakee Regional Development Authority in 2023.

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate. ​

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