Governor Announces Appointments

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has appointed a new Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Education and arbitrators to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission.

Name: Kelley Washington
Position: Executive Director - Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Kelley Washington as the Executive Director in the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. She will work to strengthen early childhood education in Illinois through Race to the Top grants; preschool expansion; and Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting. In addition, she will work with state agencies to ensure alignment of early childhood development within current transformation efforts.

Most recently, Washington worked as the Chief of Staff to Illinois Secretary of Education Beth Purvis where she assisted with strategic planning initiatives. Her background includes consulting, business, and human resources management, which will help elevate the work of the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. She is also a member of the Eli and Edythe Board Residency Program. The program is part of the Eli and Edythe Board Foundation, which works to increase student success and outcomes in urban public schools. She previously worked at Accenture and General Mills. Washington earned her bachelor's degree from Duke University and her master's degree from the University of Michigan.

Name: Paul Cellini
Position: Arbitrator - Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Paul Cellini as an arbitrator to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. Cellini brings 20 years of experience in workers' comp law in the public and private sectors to the position.

Currently, Cellini works for the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission as an attorney. He reviews records of cases that have been appealed and makes recommendations to the three-member commission panel. He has also worked for Travelers Insurance where he focused on workers' comp claims on behalf of the company.

Cellini is a graduate of the University of Illinois. He earned his law degree from The John Marshall Law School. He lives in Chicago.

Name: Gary Gale
Position: Arbitrator - Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Gary Gale as an arbitrator to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. Gale is the former Executive Director of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission and brings nearly 35 years of experience in workers' comp law to the position. Gale has worked on behalf of employers and employees in workers' comp cases. Currently, Gale is an attorney at Maciorowski, Sackmann & Ulrich, LLP. From 1999 to 2001, he was the Executive Director of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, where he supervised the agency's judicial division, monitoring work flow and the arbitrators.

Gale holds a bachelor's degree from Case Western University, a master's degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from the Chicago Kent College of Law. He lives in Elk Grove Village.