A press release from Governor Bruce Rauner:

Governor Announces Staff and Appointments

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Bruce Rauner announced a number of key staff appointments to help him as he works on the Illinois Turnaround. Today’s announcements include the new Director of the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program; the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority; the Illinois State Board of Investment; and the Illinois Human Rights Commission.

In addition, Governor Rauner has also extended the contract of state CFO, Donna Arduin. She will continue working with the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget on enacting a balanced budget. Her compensation has been reduced by half from her previous contract and will terminate when the final budget is signed or on August 28, whichever comes first.

Name: Joseph Wright

Position: Director, Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program

Governor Bruce Rauner has named Joesph Wright the Director of the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program. He is currently Assistant General Counsel in the Office of the Governor.

In the Office of the Governor, Wright has worked extensively with the state agencies involved in the medical cannabis pilot program. He is the liaison with the legal teams within the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and the Illinois Racing Board. In addition, Wright assisted the Office of the Governor with Freedom of Information Act requests.

Wright has experience at the federal level, working as a Legislative Assistant in the Office of Congressman Jim Matheson. He also was a law clerk for Holland & Knight, the Illinois Attorney General and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Wright is a graduate of the University of Illinois, and earned his law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. He lives in Chicago.

Name: Timothy Rand

Position: Illinois Sports Facilities Authority

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Timothy Rand to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. Rand’s experience in the food and beverage industry and in event promotion makes him an excellent addition to the board.

Rand is the founder and owner of Midway Airport Concessionaires that owns a number of food outlets at Midway International Airport. He oversees the sales, management and marketing duties of the operation. In addition, Rand has served as Director of Urban Partnership Bank and is the co-founder of the annual Chicago Football Classic.

Rand is extremely active in the community working with the Chicago Urban League, Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the DuSable Museum and the Council on Chicago Public School Partnerships. Rand also served five years in the U.S. Army National Guard. He graduated from Southern Illinois University and lives in Chicago.

Name: Ezequiel Flores

Position: Illinois State Board of Investment

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Ezequiel Flores to the Illinois State Board of Investment. Flores is a global business leader with extensive experience as an entrepreneur and senior-level executive.

Flores is currently the CEO of Flores Retail Corporation, which is a real estate company that specializes in public-private partnerships, development and financing, and retail brokerage. In addition, he also co-founded Flying Food Concessions, which is responsible for one of the largest specialty retail portfolios at O’Hare International Airport. He is also the CEO of Flying Retail.

Prior to these ventures, Flores was the Strategy and Corporate Development Manager at the Sara Lee Corporation. He also worked as an Assurance and Business Advisory Associate at Arthur Anderson LLP.

Flores graduated from DePaul University with an accounting degree. He is currently earning his master’s degree at the Catholic Theological Union. He lives in Chicago.

Name: Steve Kim

Position: Illinois Human Rights Commission

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Steve Kim to the Illinois Human Rights Commission. Kim is a proven advocate for Asian Americans in Illinois and was the first Asian American to run for a statewide office when he was the Republican candidate for Attorney General in 2010.

Kim is currently a managing partner at RKJ Legal, which is an international law firm with offices in seven countries, and Kim serves as General Counsel to several other international companies. Prior to this, Kim was General Counsel for Coils, Inc., directing all legal, regulatory and governmental affairs activities. He has also worked for Time Warner Cable and AT&T.

Kim began his professional career with the State of Illinois, serving in the 1995-1996 Dunn Fellow class, assisting the Governor’s Economic and Business Development Adviser. He was also a Special Assistant to Governor Edgar, where he advised the governor on a number of issues, including international trade. In addition, he was the primary contact in the Office of the Governor for the Asian-American community.

Kim earned his bachelor’s degree and law degree from Loyola University Chicago. He lives in Northbrook.