093_HR0237
LRB093 11594 KEF 14928 r
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Helen Jett-Caldwell has had a long and sterling
3 career with the State of Illinois, beginning such public
4 service with the Illinois Department of Labor as a
5 clerk-typist in 1960; and
6 WHEREAS, Helen Jett-Caldwell continued to provide
7 exemplary public service in an increasingly responsible
8 manner, she received several promotions, one of which was to
9 the position of Administrative Assistant to the
10 Superintendent of the Madden Mental Health Center in the then
11 Illinois Department of Mental Health; and
12 WHEREAS, Helen Jett-Caldwell during her eight-year
13 tenure at the Madden Mental Health Center, distinguished
14 herself by developing an affirmative action program which was
15 later used as a model for the entire State; and
16 WHEREAS, Helen Jett-Caldwell continued to demonstrate
17 outstanding leadership, management, interpersonal and
18 communication skills which resulted in her promotion to a
19 leadership position of Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant
20 to the Director of the Illinois Department of Mental Health
21 and Developmental Disabilities, the then largest agency in
22 the State; and
23 WHEREAS, Helen Jett-Caldwell's contributions and
24 dedication have been recognized throughout the years with
25 various awards and certifications, all of which are too
26 numerous to list, but a few examples are the YMCA National
27 Black Achiever for Youth Motivation; Who's Who in State
28 Government; President's Award, International Association of
29 Official Human Rights Agencies; and the Chicago Commission on
30 Human Relation's Governmental Award of Merit; and
31 WHEREAS, Helen Jett-Caldwell is the wife of Lamon
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1 Caldwell; she is the proud parent of a son, Chris Cunningham;
2 a daughter, Dr. Lynne Cunningham-McCoy; and the very proud
3 grandmother of LaCresha Cunningham, Kristoffer Jett, Michael
4 McCoy, Joshua Bradley, Brittney Cunningham, Ashley
5 Richardson, Jordan Bradley, Adrienne Cunningham, Ebony
6 Richardson, and Bailey Cunningham; and
7 WHEREAS, Helen Jett-Caldwell became recognized as an
8 effective leader in the State, and particularly in the field
9 of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, she was
10 appointed to the position of Deputy Director to the newly
11 created Department of Human Rights, where she has served to
12 this day; and
13 WHEREAS, Helen Jett-Caldwell has served as the Deputy
14 Director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights for more
15 than 20 years and has distinguished herself as a leader among
16 her peers around the nation as evidenced by the fact that she
17 has been elected to various leadership positions on the Board
18 of Directors for the International Association of Official
19 Human Rights Agencies for the past 16 years; therefore, be it
20 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
21 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
22 we proclaim the date of April 30, 2003 Helen Jett-Caldwell
23 Day in the State of Illinois; and be it further
24 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
25 presented to Helen Jett-Caldwell as an expression of our
26 respect and esteem.