Governor Quinn Announces Top Cabinet Appointments

CHICAGO – Monday, April 2, 2012. Today Governor Pat Quinn announced the appointments of Dr. La Mar Hasbrouck as director of the Department of Public Health (IDPH), David Vaught as director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and Jerry Stermer as acting director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB). Today’s action is the latest in a series of appointments Governor Quinn is making as he continues to fulfill his commitment to creating jobs, economic development, and increasing efficiency and accountability in all areas of state government.

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

La Mar Hasbrouck, MD, MPH most recently served as public health director and commissioner of mental health in upstate New York. Prior to becoming commissioner, Dr. Hasbrouck spent 11 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of the epidemic intelligence service. Dr. Hasbrouck worked to reduce and eliminate diseases in countries around the world, including polio eradication in Bangladesh and serving as the CDC director and chief of party in Guyana, South America.

Dr. Hasbrouck holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s of public health from of the University of California-Berkeley, and received his medical degree from the UCLA/Drew School of Medicine. He completed his medical residency at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Hasbrouck has published numerous scientific articles, reports and book chapters, and is the recipient of several distinguished honors, including the Secretary’s Primary Health Care Policy Fellowship, the Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service, and the Meritorious Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State.

David Vaught, an attorney and longtime financial analyst, has served as director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) since 2009. As budget director, Vaught increased efficiencies in state government while strategically investing in areas that support economic growth. A small business owner, Vaught will now oversee the state agency tasked with growing Illinois’ economy through strong outreach with state, national and international corporations, and using a variety of job growth strategies.

Vaught is a graduate of the Southern Illinois University School of Law, and he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point where he studied engineering.

Jerry Stermer joined Governor Quinn’s administration as chief of staff in 2009 after spending several years working for numerous public interest groups that focused on state policy and state budgeting. As a senior advisor to the Governor, Stermer has been involved in the budgeting process the past three years and played a leading role in negotiations with the General Assembly and legislative leaders. Currently, he is leading the Governor’s pension working group charged with devising a proposal to address the pension crisis that has resulted from decades of fiscal mismanagement in Illinois. Since joining Governor Quinn, Stermer has helped pass major legislation with the Governor’s support. At GOMB, Stermer will lead the administration’s budget negotiations with the General Assembly and continue the Governor’s work to stabilize pensions and restructure the state’s Medicaid program, which are both leading priorities for Governor Quinn this year.

Stermer holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and he studied at the Divine World Seminary, where he completed his bachelor's degree in liberal arts. He has been an adjunct professor at Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy since 2002.

Vaught and Stermer will begin serving in their new positions April 2, while Dr. La Mar Hasbrouck will begin serving April 23.

Related Materials

Director Backgrounds - April 2 2012 Appointments (PDF, 69 KB)