Agencies
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Commission & Leadership
The EEC is a nine-member commission. Five commissioners are appointed by the Governor, and one commissioner each is appointed from the Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, and Treasurer. No more than five commissioners may be of the same political party. The Commission meets at least once each month to perform its statutory duties. These duties include:
- conducting administrative hearings on alleged violations of the Ethics Act
- preparing public information to facilitate compliance with ethic laws
- providing guidance to Ethics Officers
- receiving reports of activity from Executive Inspectors General
- receiving reports of ex parte communications from Ethics Officers
- overseeing the annual ethics training for all employees of the executive branch of State Government.
Commission
Walter P. Turner, III
Treasurer's appointee from Flossmoor.
Patty Schuh - Secretary
Attorney General's appointee from Springfield. Patty had a long and distinguished career in state government, including experience in both the legislative and executive branches. She served as a Deputy Chief of Staff in the Governor’s Office, after more than three decades of experience working in the Illinois Senate.
Amalia Rioja
Comptroller's appointee from River Forest. Amalia has more than 25 years of professional experience in the law, government, philanthropy, business, and civic affairs. Amalia is an attorney with Rioja LLC, where her practice focuses on corporate governance, government relations and public-private partnerships. She previously served as a Deputy Chief of Staff in the Governor's Office, Acting Public Access Counselor in the Attorney General's Office and Deputy General Counsel in the Comptroller's Office.
Maria Kuzas - Vice-Chair
Secretary of State appointee from Chicago. Maria is a master's prepared nurse with clinical and leadership experience in home health, hospice care, community outreach and business development. Maria is part of the care management team at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
Allison Powers
Governor's appointee from Chicago. Allison N. Powers is an experienced litigator with expertise in discrimination and harassment claims in both the private and public sectors. More than a litigator, Allison is a strategic partner to her clients. As such, she devotes a significant portion of her practice to counseling clients facing a variety of workplace challenges. Having served on the #MeToo practice group and Diversity and Inclusion task forces, Allison has, in recent years, expanded her practice to include handling sensitive workplace investigations and projects related to developing diversity strategy. Amidst the current public interest in racial justice and equality issues, Allison has also been involved in diversity and inclusion “crisis” investigations.
David Welter
Governor's appointee.
Patricia Yadgir
Governor's appointee from Woodridge. Patricia Bakalis Yadgir served on the Illinois Human Rights Commission, responsible for investigating charges of discrimination filed in the state of Illinois, for the last eight years. Her career in the field of education expands over 30 years. Ms. Yadgir holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Education from Northern Illinois University. She had taught at the early childhood level and was a counselor/professor at College of DuPage for over 20 years. She has authored two books on ethics; one for primary-aged children and one for junior high/high school aged youth. Currently Ms. Yadgir serves as Chief Administrative Officer for American Quality Schools, a not-for-profit educational management organization.
Cynthia Ervin - Chair
Governor's appointee from Illiopolis. Cynthia Ervin is the Associate General Counsel for Corporate Services and M & A at Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, one of the world's largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers. Prior to joining ADM in 2006, Ervin served in a number of legal positions in Illinois State government, including as General Counsel for Illinois Department of Agriculture, Attorney to the chairman for the Illinois Pollution Control Board, Assistant Attorney General, and law clerk to Illinois Supreme Court Justice Benjamin K. Miller.
Staff
- Nathan Rice, Executive Director - Nate became the Executive Ethics Commission’s (EEC) Executive Director in February 2024. Prior to serving as Executive Director, Nate was the Deputy General Counsel and Ethics Officer for the Illinois Department of Public Health. Nate previously served the Commission in various capacities from 2020 to 2023, including as Senior Legal Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer. Before joining state government, Nate worked for several years in local government as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Springfield, Illinois. Nate is an Illinois native and received his Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University School of Law, Master of Arts with Distinction from DePaul University, and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Nathan.Rice@Illinois.gov
- Barbara Myers, General Counsel - Barbara joined the Executive Ethics Commission in 2017 and served as the EEC’s Chief Counsel for Procurement from October 2020 until June 2023. Barbara was appointed General Counsel in July 2023. Prior to joining the EEC, Barbara worked for several years as a litigator in the Springfield office of a national law firm. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism. Barbara.Myers@illinois.gov
- Oliver Brooks, Chief Financial Officer -Oliver brings several decades of accounting and finance experience from the private sector to State government. He has offered key contributions to several organizations with success in budgeting, financial reporting, process improvements, and operational efficiencies. Oliver has earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Martin University, an MBA –Management and Strategy from WGU, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Northcentral University. Oliver.Brooks@illinois.gov
- Derek Cima, Chief Information Officer - Derek has been with the EEC since September 2018. Before joining the EEC, Derek worked in IDOT’s Bureau of Information Processing. Since taking leadership of EEC IT, Derek has prioritized rapid response times, customer service, and a commitment to cybersecurity best practices. Derek is a native of Marion, Illinois and graduate of John A. Logan College and Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, where his focuses of study included cybersecurity and digital forensics. Derek.Cima@illinois.gov
- Tyler Hanners, Head of Human Resources - Tyler has worked for the State of Illinois since 2011 serving in various roles including economic development, legislative, and operations. Most recently Tyler served as the Director of Human Resources with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Tyler earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology-Project Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Eastern Illinois University, an MBA from the University of Illinois Springfield, along with a Human Resources Graduate Certificate from the University of Illinois Springfield. Tyler also holds his human resources professional certifcation (SHRM-CP) with the Society of Human Resource Management. Tyler.B.Hanners@Illinois.gov