Governor Quinn Names Kelly Kraft Director of Communications

CHICAGO - July 13, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that Kelly Kraft will serve as his Director of Communications, effective on Monday. Kraft has served as the Assistant Director and Communications Director of the Governor's Office of Management and Budget (GOMB). Mica Matsoff will become Senior Advisor to the Governor. As communications director, Kraft will work closely with Brooke Anderson, who continues to serve as Press Secretary to the Governor.

"Kelly Kraft is a true professional who will do an excellent job communicating major policy issues to the people of Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "I thank Mica for her great work as communication director, and appreciate her willingness to step up and into this new role to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the state."

As Director of Communications, Kraft will plan and oversee the execution of the administration's internal and external communications. She will work closely with senior members of the Governor's staff and cabinet to develop policies that impact the people of Illinois and move the state forward.

Kraft has served as Assistant Budget Director, helping to guide Illinois' pension reforms, Medicaid restructuring, and Budgeting for Results initiatives. She has also managed complex subjects like debt issuance, financial reporting and budget policy. Prior to her career in public service, Kraft was an award winning and Emmy nominated journalist. She worked as a news anchor, reporter, producer and editor in major television markets such as Las Vegas, Buffalo, San Diego and Chicago. Kraft has also hosted and narrated the award-winning PBS documentaries "Kids in Peril" for law enforcement agencies and students in criminal justice programs.

Kraft earned her bachelor's degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where she studied Journalism and Political Science. Upon graduation, she was awarded the Ross Hazeltine Scholarship, which allowed her to live in Eastern Europe to research life after the fall of communism. She also studied at Thames Valley University in England. She grew up in Peru, Illinois in La Salle County.

As Senior Advisor, Matsoff will oversee key agencies, develop and implement strategies on high-profile issues, and coordinate policies and initiatives across various agencies of government. Matsoff has been with the Governor's Office since January 2011 as communications director. Prior to that, she managed press operations at Quinn for Illinois, Chicago 2016, and the departments of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and Employment Security. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.