Governor Pat Quinn Rolls Out New Cabinet Appointments

(Chicago, IL) – April 2, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn on Monday at 12:01 a.m. rolled-out new appointments to his administration, including a new Illinois public health chief and new budget and economic development directors.

Quinn tapped Dr. La Mar Hasbrouck, who most recently served as public health director and commissioner of mental health in upstate New York, as director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The governor nominated his current budget director, David Vaught, to serve as the director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, while shuffling senior advisor Jerry Stermer over to Governor’s Office of Management and Budget as the interim director.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. La Mar Hasbrouck, who will strengthen Illinois with his global public health expertise,” Quinn said. “David Vaught and Jerry Stermer are both proven leaders with innovative ideas to create jobs and economic growth.”

Hasbrouck, prior to his upstate New York post, spent 11 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as part of the epidemic intelligence service. An M.D., Hasbrouck worked on polio eradication in Bangladesh and served as the CDC director and chief of party in Guyana, South America.

Vaught, an attorney and longtime financial analyst, has served as director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget since 2009. As budget director, Vaught has had difficult relations with the legislature and will likely encounter turbulence in the Illinois Senate, which must confirm his appointment.

Stermer joined Governor Quinn’s administration as chief of staff in 2009, but had to resign his after a minor ethics flap in August 2010 prior to Quinn’s election victory in November 2010. After a brief exile, Stermer returned as a senior advisor to Quinn’s in December 2010. As a senior advisor, Stermer has been leading the Governor’s pension working group charged with devising a proposal to address the Illinois pension crisis.

The Stermer budget appointment, who hails from the human services field, was welcomed by a top social services advocate.

“Stermer could be a little better for us,” said the lobbyist who requested to remain anonymous.

Welcome, directors.