Governor Quinn Makes Executive Appointments

CHICAGO - July 31, 2010 - Governor Pat Quinn today announced appointments to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, the newly-formed Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission, the Health Facilities and Service Review Board and the East St. Louis Financial Advisory Authority.

Illinois Prisoner Review Board

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board imposes release conditions for incarcerated individuals who are exiting prison, awards inmate good conduct credits, and conducts hearings to determine whether parolees have violated conditions of parole. The board also makes confidential recommendations to the Governor regarding clemency petitions, and notifies victims when an inmate is about to be released.

Current board chair Jorge Montes announced yesterday that he is leaving the commission to pursue other opportunities. Montes will continue to serve the board over the next three weeks to assist with the transition. The new appointees are:

Adam Monreal will serve as the new chairman of the Prisoner Review Board. Monreal lives in Chicago and is currently a supervisor in the Department of Insurance’s Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit. Previously he served as Assistant to the Mayor of Chicago for Public Safety and as an Assistant State’s Attorney.

Angelia Blackman-Donovan lives in Belleville and is a trial court administrator in the 20th Judicial Circuit. Blackman-Donovan has spent 30 years as a prosecutor, public defender and private attorney.

William Simmons lives in Wheaton and spent 40 years with the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. He retired in 2008 as Chief of Criminal Investigations.

Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission

The Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission will conduct inquiries into claims of torture and recommend to the judicial branch claims that could be prosecuted in court. The new appointees are:

Leonard Cavise of Chicago is a law professor at DePaul and Director of the Center for Public Interest Law and frequently takes on pro bono public interest and human rights work.

Daniel Coyne of Evanston is a U.S. Navy Veteran and former defense attorney who has argued before the United States Supreme Court. He is now a law professor at the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Patricia Brown Holmes of Chicago was the chair of Governor Quinn’s Cemetery Oversight Task Force and has a long and distinguished career as a judge in Cook County, former Assistant United States Attorney and corporation counsel for the City of Chicago. She is current a partner at Schiff Hardin.

Hipolito (Paul) Roldan of Chicago is the Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic Housing Corporation. He has also been a recipient of a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and a Bronze Star for his duty in the Vietnam War.

Neil Toppel of Chicago is a partner at Dvorak, Toppel and Barrido. Prior to private practice, he worked for the Cook County Public Defender’s Office where he handled first amendment, police brutality, gender and race discrimination litigation and has given lectures on Illinois Criminal Procedure.

Rob Warden of Chicago is the Executive Director for the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. He is the author of seven books and is a former executive officer at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Andrea Zopp of Chicago has worked in the Assistant United States Attorney’s Office and the Cook County Attorney’s Office and was a member of the Cemetery Oversight Task Force.

East St. Louis Financial Advisory Authority

The East St. Louis Financial Advisory Authority evaluates the annual operating budget of East St. Louis and is responsible for review and approval of payments, contracts and payroll. The new appointees are:

Marvin Lampkin of Swansea will serve as the board’s chair. Lampkin is a Senior Regional Sales Manager for Astellas Pharma US and has spent 15 years in heath service and pharmaceutical business.

Clarence Ellis Sr. of East St. Louis is a longtime community leader with experience as education instructor and administrator and non-profit director. The recipient of numerous community service awards, Ellis is also the former chairman of the East St. Louis Planning Commission.

David Moore of Belleville is a processor for the United State Department of Agriculture and is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Jacqueline Settles of East St. Louis is a former senior administrator at the Illinois Department of Corrections and project coordinator at the Housing Authority of East St. Louis. Settles is being re-appointed.

Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board

The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board approves or disapproves applications for construction or expansion of health care facilities to avoid unnecessary duplication of such facilities and promotes development of facilities in areas where needed.

Ronald Eaker of Urbana is a former social worker and nursing home administrator and has served on the Champaign County Health Care Access Task Force for the past three years.

Donald Yost of Charleston is the President of Yost Management Company and President of the Illinois Affordable Housing non-for-profit. He is a retired employee of the Illinois Department of Corrections, a current member of the Eastern Illinois University Board of Trustees and a former member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.