The State's Credit Fundamentals Continue to Improve
State of Illinois Presenting Team
The Honorable JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois
Raised by parents who taught him to fight for progressive values from a young age, JB Pritzker has spent his life standing up for social and
economic justice and expanding opportunity in communities across the state of Illinois.
Those values led JB to become a national leader in early childhood education, working for decades to create and expand early learning programs
for low income children. After years of dedication, JB was asked by President Obama in 2014 to help organize the White House Summit on Early
Childhood Education. In Illinois, JB recognized that thousands of children across the state go to school hungry every day, and kids can't learn well
on an empty stomach. So JB partnered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Share our Strength to expand federal school breakfast
grants in Illinois, making it possible for 230,000 more kids to get breakfast and start their day off right.
As a businessman and entrepreneur, JB has helped create thousands of jobs in Illinois. In 2012, JB founded 1871, a non-profit small business
incubator. 1871 brought together the educational and civic resources to support startup businesses, and so far it has helped entrepreneurs create
more than 8,000 good-paying jobs and hundreds of new companies in our state. Since the creation of 1871, Chicago has been named one of the top
ten technology startup hubs in the world, and 1871 was named the best incubator in the world. JB is committed to helping entrepreneurs and
small businesses get started and grow all across our state.
A staunch advocate for righting historic wrongs and fighting discrimination, JB has stood against hatred and bigotry throughout his life. JB was a
key supporter of the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University. The Center has become a national leader fighting to reform our
criminal justice system, helping the accused prove their innocence. He also served as Chairman of the Illinois Human Rights Commission. As
chairman, JB stood up for the rights of the disadvantaged, fighting for victims of gender, racial, religious, and sexual orientation discrimination
and working to ensure people with disabilities have equal access to jobs and housing.
JB and his wife, MK, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in 2018, and they are the proud parents of a daughter, Teddi, and a son, Donny.
3
AL OF THE STAT
OF ILLINO
AUG. 26 1818View entire presentation