093_HR0237

                                     LRB093 11594 KEF 14928 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, Helen Jett-Caldwell has had a long and  sterling
 3    career  with  the  State  of  Illinois, beginning such public
 4    service  with  the  Illinois  Department  of   Labor   as   a
 5    clerk-typist in 1960; and

 6        WHEREAS,   Helen   Jett-Caldwell   continued  to  provide
 7    exemplary  public  service  in  an  increasingly  responsible
 8    manner, she received several promotions, one of which was  to
 9    the    position    of   Administrative   Assistant   to   the
10    Superintendent of the Madden Mental Health Center in the then
11    Illinois Department of Mental Health; and

12        WHEREAS,   Helen  Jett-Caldwell  during  her   eight-year
13    tenure  at  the  Madden  Mental  Health Center, distinguished
14    herself by developing an affirmative action program which was
15    later used as a model for the entire State; and

16        WHEREAS, Helen  Jett-Caldwell  continued  to  demonstrate
17    outstanding   leadership,   management,   interpersonal   and
18    communication  skills  which  resulted  in her promotion to a
19    leadership position of Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant
20    to the Director of the Illinois Department of  Mental  Health
21    and  Developmental  Disabilities,  the then largest agency in
22    the State; and

23        WHEREAS,    Helen   Jett-Caldwell's   contributions   and
24    dedication have been recognized  throughout  the  years  with
25    various  awards  and  certifications,  all  of  which are too
26    numerous to list, but a few examples are  the  YMCA  National
27    Black  Achiever  for  Youth  Motivation;  Who's  Who in State
28    Government; President's Award, International  Association  of
29    Official Human Rights Agencies; and the Chicago Commission on
30    Human Relation's Governmental Award of Merit; and

31        WHEREAS,   Helen  Jett-Caldwell  is  the  wife  of  Lamon
 
                            -2-      LRB093 11594 KEF 14928 r
 1    Caldwell; she is the proud parent of a son, Chris Cunningham;
 2    a  daughter,  Dr.  Lynne Cunningham-McCoy; and the very proud
 3    grandmother of LaCresha Cunningham, Kristoffer Jett,  Michael
 4    McCoy,    Joshua   Bradley,   Brittney   Cunningham,   Ashley
 5    Richardson,  Jordan  Bradley,  Adrienne   Cunningham,   Ebony
 6    Richardson, and Bailey Cunningham; and

 7        WHEREAS,  Helen  Jett-Caldwell  became  recognized  as an
 8    effective leader in the State, and particularly in the  field
 9    of   Equal   Opportunity  and  Affirmative  Action,  she  was
10    appointed to the position of Deputy  Director  to  the  newly
11    created  Department  of Human Rights, where she has served to
12    this day; and

13        WHEREAS,  Helen Jett-Caldwell has served  as  the  Deputy
14    Director  of the Illinois Department of Human Rights for more
15    than 20 years and has distinguished herself as a leader among
16    her peers around the nation as evidenced by the fact that she
17    has been elected to various leadership positions on the Board
18    of Directors for the International  Association  of  Official
19    Human Rights Agencies for the past 16 years; therefore, be it

20        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
21    NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
22    we  proclaim  the  date of April 30, 2003 Helen Jett-Caldwell
23    Day in the State of Illinois; and be it further

24        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
25    presented  to  Helen  Jett-Caldwell  as  an expression of our
26    respect and esteem.