Director Lavin has twenty-one years of public and private sector experience and a record of job creation and financial management in both the business world and in Illinois state government.
He grew up in Elmhurst, a suburb of Chicago. He graduated from York High School and is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds both a Master’s degree in business from the University of Chicago with a specialization in finance, as well as a Master’s degree in international relations from the University of Chicago. He also completed a semester of graduate studies at Yonsei University in South Korea.
Director Lavin is an involved community leader, father and husband. He and his wife, Kathy, have three children: Emily - 10, Michael - 8, and Katie - 2.
Professional Success
As Director of DCEO, Lavin has led the total reorganization of the agency, including the introduction of a regional economic development strategy, Opportunity Returns, the consolidation of the state’s job training programs, and the overall streamlining of the agency.
Among his key accomplishments at DCEO are the passage of legislation to ensure greater corporate accountability and transparency in the state’s business investment programs, the passage and implementation of a new film tax credit that has revitalized the production industry in Illinois, and the creation of new, innovative job training programs – including the Critical Skill Shortages Initiative, which is being replicated in Indiana, to provide workers with the tools they need to land jobs in everything from manufacturing to health care, and disabilityworks, which is a public-private partnership to create more employment opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Labor honored the program last year with its New Freedom Award as an exemplary model of bringing together the public and private sector to create pathways for those left behind and help youth and adults with disabilities build better lives.
Director Lavin helped combine all of the small business services under an integrated system, known as the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network (IEN), to strengthen the state’s capacity to develop small businesses into market successes and help entrepreneurship act as a more dynamic engine of growth. The 18 Entrepreneurship Centers statewide, which make up one vital component of the IEN, provide expertise and grant funding to assist entrepreneurs or small businesses with obtaining professional services for comprehensive business plan assistance, evaluation of a proposed start-up or expansion or other accelerated support purposes.
Through critical investments in and the promotion of Illinois’ tourist attractions around the world, tourism generated a record $26.2 billion for Illinois in 2005, a nearly 7 percent increase. Tourism supports more than 300,000 Illinois jobs.
Since Governor Blagojevich took office, DCEO has completed roughly 480 business investment deals that will spur an estimated $6.7 billion in private investment.
Blue chip corporations are continuing to call Illinois home. Since 2004, companies such as United Airlines, Mittal Steel, Chrysler Group, Ford, Pella, Takeda, Astellas Pharma, Hospira, Target, Lowe’s, OfficeMax, USF Holland and Schneider National have located in or expanded in Illinois.
Under Gov. Blagojevich, DCEO’s Office of Trade and Investment has led 42 foreign trade missions, with 8 planned over the next six months. This total is more than any previous single administration. These missions have hosted more than 200 participants and have included trips, often multiple times, to countries such as Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Spain and South Africa
In 2006, Illinois companies exported more than $42 billion in products, which was a 17.3 percent increase from 2005. Since 2002, Illinois exports have grown by more than $16.4 billion, a 64 percent increase. Illinois is now the fifth largest exporting state in the country, which is its highest ranking ever.
As Deputy State Treasurer for Illinois from 1993-1995, Lavin was directly responsible for all investment strategies and programs in the Treasurer’s $5 billion annual investment portfolio. Prior to that, he was Director of Development Finance for the State Treasurer from 1991- 1993.
Among his major accomplishments as Deputy Treasurer was a tripling of funds invested in economic development – from $221 million in 1990 to more than $830 million in 1994. The economic development programs he oversaw helped more than 25,000 Illinois families and businesses gain access to credit by investing more than $2 billion in the Illinois economy. These programs helped the office win awards from the National Association of Women Business Owners and the Illinois Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities.
During Jack’s four years in the State Treasurer’s Office, the Treasurer also made significant investments in banks to ensure the availability of loans to create and expand businesses, including employee-owned, minority-owned and women-owned businesses, as well as for veterans and rural health clinics. These loans created or retained 7,800 permanent jobs.
During his tenure as Deputy Treasurer, the office won the Government Finance Officers’ Association’s 1994 award for excellence for the Small Business Means Big Business program, which he developed and oversaw.
In addition, Jack served on the Board of the Prairie State 2000 Authority from 1991-1995. This Authority was the premier job-training agency for the State of Illinois for retraining already employed workers in the new global economy.
Outside of his extensive experience in government and economic development, Jack served in key financial positions in the private sector, including Abbott Laboratories and in the restaurant industry.
Serving the community
Jack is active as a volunteer in public education and in support for children with Down’s Syndrome. Along with his wife, he has served for four years as co-coordinator for the city of Chicago parent support group for the National Association for Down’s Syndrome.
Jack has also served as chair of the Chicago Public Schools’ Special Education Task Force. The Task Force was formed to give recommendations to the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools and the Mayor of Chicago on improving special education services for children in the city.
He served for six years on the Alexander Graham Bell Local School Council, where he chaired the budget committee and played a major role in raising money for libraries, computers and teachers and the first ever Citywide Deaf Olympics. He was Treasurer for the last four years for the Friends of Bell School, a parents support group that helps raise money for school projects. In addition, he led the effort by the Bell Neighborhood Association to raise money to build and design a play lot at Bell School, the only play lot within a four-square-block area. Jack met his wife, Kathy, serving on that committee.
Jack was Treasurer and a member of the board of Jobs for Youth, the premier job training and placement social services agency for the city of Chicago. The group places more than 1,500 people per year in jobs. Jack has also been a long-time volunteer for Misericordia and is a former President of the largest student YMCA in the United States. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the YMCA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.