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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING JACQUETTA ELLINGER ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT FROM THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHCARE AND FAMILY SERVICES
WHEREAS, Jacquetta graduated Magna Cum Laude from Edinboro State College (now Edinboro University) in Edinboro, Pennsylvania in 1972, and, after graduating in 1973, became a caseworker for four years at the Indiana County Child Welfare Services in Indiana, Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Jacquetta Ellinger moved to Chicago to attend The University of Chicago, where she earned her Master’s Degree at the School of Social Service Administration; and
WHEREAS, after graduating in 1979, Jacquetta Ellinger began a career in Illinois Government as an analyst, working in the Bureau of the Budget and eventually becoming the department head at the Division of Health and Social Services; and
WHEREAS, in 1985, Jacquetta Ellinger began her service in the Illinois Department of Public Health as Special Assistant to the Director and then Associate Director for the Office of Health Policy and Planning. In 1991, she moved to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Over the next 26 years, she became a Deputy Administrator of the Medicaid program, and in 2002 took leadership for Eligibility Policy; and
WHEREAS, she has served under Governors, Department Heads and Medicaid Directors in both Republican and Democratic administrations, bringing to this work detailed understanding of Medicaid policy at both the State and Federal levels; and
WHEREAS, with her extensive knowledge and her desire to ensure greater access to health care for people in need, she was a key leader who helped implement essential policies in the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance programs, including expanding healthcare under All Kids and the Affordable Care Act; and
WHEREAS, after more than four decades as a selfless public servant dedicated to helping the vulnerable, with a career that spanned from caseworker to head of Illinois Medicaid eligibility policy, Jacquetta Ellinger will retire from the State of Illinois on December 31, 2017; in her retirement she plans to unwind and enjoy life more; and
WHEREAS, Jacquetta Ellinger has been a loving daughter, is a caring aunt, sister, and friend, and is a die-hard Cubs fan; she is adored by her family and friends; her work has changed the lives of countless Illinoisans for the better.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby offer Jacquetta Ellinger congratulations on her retirement and thank her for her years of public service at the state of Illinois; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy be tendered to Jacquetta Ellinger as an expression of our sincere gratitude for the invaluable contributions she has made to the citizens of the state of Illinois.end