Judy Erwin

Judy Erwin, a former state representative and onetime director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, co-chaired Emanuel's mayoral and congressional campaigns. She also is a director of ASGK Public Strategies, the political consulting firm founded and once run by David Axelrod, who worked with Emanuel in the Obama White House. Judy Erwin represented the 11th District in Chicago from 1992 to 2003 in the Illinois General Assembly. She chaired the House Higher Education Committee and was vice chair of committees on children and youth, tourism, and higher education appropriations. Most recently she served as the Executive Director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Community Trust, Metropolis 2020 and the Civic Federation. Erwin holds a BA in education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and an MA in education from the National College of Education in Evanston.