HR1176 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1176 LRB098 21605 MST 60365 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize Douglas L. Whitley and thank him for his many years of service; and

WHEREAS, As President and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Douglas Whitley leads the Chamber's charge to aggressively promote the interests of Illinois business; he has been a registered Illinois lobbyist for more than 30 years and has a long record of business leadership and expertise in taxation and regulation, which he has earned in a career spanning the public and private sectors; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Douglas Whitley has held leadership positions with numerous business and civic organizations; he co-founded and co-chairs the Transportation for Illinois Coalition and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Technology Partnership and on the Steering Committee for the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition; his other leadership positions have included the Illinois Business Roundtable, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Club of Chicago, and Chicago's Work Force Development Board; he has served on numerous commissions and advisory boards including Governor Quinn's Economic Recovery Commission, the Advisory Board to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and the Illinois Workforce Investment Board of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; and

WHEREAS, Before joining the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Douglas Whitley was President of Ameritech Illinois; he served 2 years as Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue during the administration of Governor Jim Edgar and, prior to that, he was president of the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois for 14 years; in earlier years, he was a legislative staff member in the Illinois House of Representatives; and

WHEREAS, A lifelong Illinois resident, Douglas Whitley spent his youth in Atwood, a small, central Illinois farming community of 1,200, where he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout; he earned his bachelor's degree in government and history from Southern Illinois University and was granted an honorary doctorate degree from Western Illinois University; he and his wife, Joanne, live in Kane County and they have 3 children; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize Douglas Whitley, thank him for his many years of service, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Douglas Whitley as an expression of our esteem and respect.