HR0454 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0454 LRB101 12760 ALS 61593 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Karen Beyer on the occasion of her retirement as the CEO of the Ecker Center for Mental Health; and

WHEREAS, Karen Beyer began her career as a child welfare caseworker in 1966; she joined Lutheran Social Services of Illinois as a therapist in 1967; she earned a master's degree in social work from Loyola University in 1969 and quickly moved into a leadership role as the Clinical Director for the Family Service Association of the Greater Elgin Area; she was appointed Director of Health and Human Services for the Village of Hoffman Estates in 1983; she earned her second master's degree in public administration from Roosevelt University in 1992; she was hired as the Executive Director of The Larkin Center in 1993, where she increased fundraising and developed new programs; and

WHEREAS, In her private counseling practice, Karen Beyer specialized in marital counseling and became one of the first individuals in the State trained in divorce mediation; she practiced divorce mediation with an attorney partner for several years; and

WHEREAS, Karen Beyer successfully defended her client's right to privacy in the historic U.S. Supreme Court Case Jaffee v. Redmond and the Village of Hoffman Estates; as a result of her work with the traumatized police officer, she became an advocate for the inclusion in employee assistance programs of counseling services for police officers who experience tragic events in the line of duty; and

WHEREAS, Karen Beyer joined the Ecker Center as the Executive Director in 2000 and earned her third master's degree in business administration; her years of leadership will be especially remembered for her resourceful and successful navigation of difficult financial crises while minimizing the impact to client care and employees; and

WHEREAS, Karen Beyer is a member of Rotary International, the Cosmopolitan Club, the League of Women Voters, the Network for Social Work Managers, the National Association of Social Workers, and the City of Elgin Planning and Development Committee; her current interests are public policy, advocacy, and government relations; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Karen Beyer on the occasion of her retirement as the CEO of the Ecker Center for Mental Health, commend her 53 years of dedicated work in the human services field, and wish her the best in her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Karen Beyer as an expression of our esteem and respect.