SR1294 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1294 LRB103 43162 LAW 76424 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Lori J. Wilcox-Knight; and

WHEREAS, Lori Wilcox-Knight, born in 1976, received a Bachelor of Arts from Western Illinois University, an ABA-Approved, Post-Bachelor Paralegal Certificate from Roosevelt University Chicago, and a Master of Education from American Intercontinental University, and she was pursuing a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University; she was a Certified, Registered, and Master Municipal Clerk; and

WHEREAS, Lori Wilcox-Knight was a combat war veteran; she joined the U.S. Army in 1993 at the age of 17, and her tenure included being stationed in Germany, Japan, Korea, and Austria and participating in Operation Joint Guard in Bosnia from 1997 to 1998; during her time in the military, she served as an administrative specialist, a postal operations sergeant, and a reserve hospital unit administrator until 2005; and

WHEREAS, Lori Wilcox-Knight made history when she was first elected City Clerk of the City of Chicago Heights in 2011, and she completed and retired from her third term in May 2023; she won a historic election as committeeman of Bloom Township Democrats in March 2018, becoming the second woman and youngest person to hold that position; she was the former co-chair of the Cook County Democratic Party's Outreach Committee; she also served as a member of Governor JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton's 2018 Veterans Transition Team, and she later served as a member of Secretary of State Alex Giannoulias' 2023 Library Transition Team; during her tenure in public life, she was known for supporting, engaging, educating, and empowering women candidates, helping over 10 women become judges and many others to join, to gain, and to grow in the political arena; and

WHEREAS, Lori Wilcox-Knight worked as a business development and executive leadership coach from November 2022 to November 2023, incorporating reading, writing, and volunteering to help senior level executives and healthcare professionals transition into entrepreneurship; she aspired to become a children's mental health counselor; and

WHEREAS, Lori Wilcox-Knight had been a member of Rotary International since 2011, where she held the positions of assistant governor, for which she was named Assistant Governor of the Year, president of the Chicago Heights-Park Forest Rotary Club, and international convention chairperson for Rotary District 6450's visit to Korea; she also hosted three Friendship Exchange delegations from Nigeria in 2017, 2022, and 2023, and she hosted a Friendship Delegation for a Vanderbilt University Fellow from Thailand; and

WHEREAS, Lori Wilcox-Knight volunteered at her youngest son's junior high school, Cornerstone Christian School, providing mentoring, capacity building, and a food pantry and serving as a volunteer resource officer; she also volunteered at a local nursing home, providing spiritual care, and she was an active minister in the church; she sat on the boards of multiple non-profits; and

WHEREAS, Lori Wilcox-Knight was the recipient of numerous accolades, including receiving the Illinois Women in Leadership Public Fellowship in 2015 and being selected by the Chicago Defender as one of the 50 Women of Excellence in 2016; and

WHEREAS, Lori Wilcox-Knight was a mother, daughter, sister, and friend who was passionate about supporting initiatives involving veterans, women in business, cancer survivors, and small private schools; and

WHEREAS, Lori Wilcox-Knight is survived by her children, Taylor, Frankie, and Lorenz; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Lori J. Wilcox-Knight and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Lori Wilcox-Knight as an expression of our deepest sympathy.