Lizzy Whitehorn is a committed public servant who has worked at the intersection of policy, law, and politics her entire career. She currently serves as Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the state’s Medicaid agency. Previously, Lizzy served for five years as First Assistant Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services in Governor JB Pritzker’s administration, where she played a leading role in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and directed development and implementation of many of the Governor’s strategic initiatives, including increasing equitable access to healthcare, strengthening the state’s early childhood system, and transforming the children’s behavioral health system. Before joining the administration, Lizzy served as a senior policy advisor on Governor Pritzker’s campaign. She previously worked in Governor Quinn’s administration as an Associate General Counsel and Deputy Director for Personnel in the Department of Central Management Services.
In addition to her service in state government, Lizzy has worked on several campaigns, including Dan Hynes for Governor and Sol Flores for Congress; and served as an Associate Attorney at Jenner & Block LLP and a Staff Law Clerk for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. From 2001 to 2004, Lizzy was Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Chicago Public Schools.
Lizzy serves on the George F. Baker Scholar Program Board of Trustees at Georgetown University. She is member of the 2023 Class of Leadership Greater Chicago and was an Edgar Fellow in 2019. She holds a JD from Northwestern Law School and a BA from Georgetown University. She lives in Chicago with her husband and their two children.