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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate Dr. Erma Brooks
4Williams on her retirement as Associate to the President for
5the Board of Trustees and Governmental Affairs at Chicago State
6University; and
 
7    WHEREAS, She earned her doctorate from Roosevelt
8University, her Bachelor's degree from the University of
9Illinois at Springfield, and an Associate of Arts degree in
10Journalism from Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield,
11where she graduated with honors; and
 
12    WHEREAS, She has served in numerous administrative
13capacities at Chicago State, including: successfully lobbying
14for the restoration of $225 million in MAP funding;
15establishing partnerships among legislators and high schools
16to recruit students from their respective legislative
17districts; establishing collaborations between the University
18and Chicago Public Schools to recruit more students from
19Chicago Public Schools; lobbying and working with the Illinois
20Legislative Black Caucus and the Illinois General Assembly to
21secure funding; as well as many other achievements; and
 
22    WHEREAS, Prior to joining the University, she served in

 

 

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1various executive-level positions in the Chancellor's Office
2at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC); Dr. Williams
3served as Special Assistant for Education to the late
4Congressmen Harold Washington and Congressman Charles Hayes;
5she also served as a Budget Analyst for Illinois House Speaker
6Michael J. Madigan; and
 
7    WHEREAS, As a member of the Illinois Senate staff, she was
8the first African-American female to serve as Supervisor of the
9Senate Democratic Pages; Dr. Williams has written for various
10community newspapers and has appeared on local radio stations
11speaking on education issues; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Former Illinois State Senate President Emil
13Jones, Jr. appointed her to serve on the Advisory Council of
14the Illinois Commission on Brown v. Board of Education; she
15also serves on the Presidential Lincoln Library and Museum
16State Craft Advisory Commission; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Dr. Williams served on the local school council at
18Morgan Park High School; she secured the archives of the late
19Senators Fred Smith and his deceased wife, Senator Margaret
20Smith, the earlier archives of the Illinois Legislative Black
21Caucus and other distinguished members of the Caucus; she also
22secured the archives of an 1881 graduate of Chicago State
23University, which included the documents of John Wentworth; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and
2Museum requested Dr. Williams to conduct President Emil Jones
3oral history in 2008; she is the author of Political
4Empowerment of Illinois African American Lawmakers from 1877 to
52005; she is married to Attorney Paul L. Williams, a former
6member of the Illinois General Assembly and sole proprietor of
7his lobbying and law firm; they have 2 daughters, Courtney
8Rachel and LaTisha Sarah; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
11we congratulate Dr. Erma Brooks Williams on her retirement and
12wish her continued success in her future endeavors; and be it
13further
 
14    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
15presented to Dr. Erma Brooks Williams as a symbol of our
16respect and esteem.