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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Karen Beyer on the
4occasion of her retirement as the CEO of the Ecker Center for
5Mental Health; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer began her career as a child welfare
7caseworker in 1966; she joined Lutheran Social Services of
8Illinois as a therapist in 1967; she earned a master's degree
9in social work from Loyola University in 1969 and quickly moved
10into a leadership role as the Clinical Director for the Family
11Service Association of the Greater Elgin Area; she was
12appointed Director of Health and Human Services for the Village
13of Hoffman Estates in 1983; she earned her second master's
14degree in public administration from Roosevelt University in
151992; she was hired as the Executive Director of The Larkin
16Center in 1993, where she increased fundraising and developed
17new programs; and
 
18    WHEREAS, In her private counseling practice, Karen Beyer
19specialized in marital counseling and became one of the first
20individuals in the State trained in divorce mediation; she
21practiced divorce mediation with an attorney partner for
22several years; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer successfully defended her client's
2right to privacy in the historic U.S. Supreme Court Case Jaffee
3v. Redmond and the Village of Hoffman Estates; as a result of
4her work with the traumatized police officer, she became an
5advocate for the inclusion in employee assistance programs of
6counseling services for police officers who experience tragic
7events in the line of duty; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer joined the Ecker Center as the
9Executive Director in 2000 and earned her third master's degree
10in business administration; her years of leadership will be
11especially remembered for her resourceful and successful
12navigation of difficult financial crises while minimizing the
13impact to client care and employees; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Karen Beyer is a member of Rotary International,
15the Cosmopolitan Club, the League of Women Voters, the Network
16for Social Work Managers, the National Association of Social
17Workers, and the City of Elgin Planning and Development
18Committee; her current interests are public policy, advocacy,
19and government relations; therefore, be it
 
20    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
21HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
22we congratulate Karen Beyer on the occasion of her retirement
23as the CEO of the Ecker Center for Mental Health, commend her

 

 

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153 years of dedicated work in the human services field, and
2wish her the best in her future endeavors; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4presented to Karen Beyer as an expression of our esteem and
5respect.