You are invited to attend the
Princeton Chamber and Main Street
Annual Meeting and Luncheon
Friday, April 18, 2008
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Wise Guys Bar & Grill
Featuring Guest Speaker:
Douglas L. Whitley
President and CEO
Illinois Chamber of Commerce
"2008 Forecast and Legislative Update"
Douglas L. Whitley
President and CEO
Illinois Chamber of Commerce
As president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Douglas L. Whitley leads the Chamber’s charge to aggressively promote the interests of Illinois business. With Whitley’s leadership, the Chamber has taken unprecedented actions on behalf of Illinois employers, strengthened its role in shaping state and federal legislation, and renewed its status as the unifying voice for business in Illinois.
Since taking the Chamber’s helm in September 2001, Whitley has built the Chamber to a new level of strength and visibility for the 21st century. Whitley and his team continue to reinforce the Chamber’s advocacy role on the timely, important business issues concerning legislation, taxation, litigation and regulation. Major themes are fiscal policy, jobs creation, judicial reforms, workers’ compensation, transportation, energy, the environment, and healthcare costs. The Chamber’s leadership in attacking a proposed Gross Receipts Tax in 2007 rallied businesses statewide and defeated the largest proposed tax increase ever.
Whitley has forged relationships with local, statewide and national organizations and built effective coalitions devoted to transportation and infrastructure funding, job creation, and judicial reform. Whitley initiates efforts to reach out to and represent the most vital interests of Illinois Chamber members. The Chamber commissions studies that spotlight the rising costs of doing business in Illinois. The Chamber’s Business Issue Councils – member-driven groups that track, evaluate and pursue policy action on business issues – continue to grow in effectiveness and number. The Chamber has an active Political Action Committee, and enjoys strong relationships with local chambers throughout Illinois.
A passionate advocate for Illinois employers, Whitley tirelessly travels the state throughout the year, meeting with local chambers of commerce and business leaders, promoting a supportive, competitive climate for Illinois employers. Whitley speaks before scores of organizations, associations and companies throughout Illinois, many of which have honored him with commendations and awards.
Whitley has a long record of business leadership and expertise in taxation and regulation, which he has earned in a career spanning the public and private sectors. Before joining the Illinois Chamber, Whitley was President of Ameritech Illinois for the six years prior to SBC Corporation’s acquisition of Ameritech. Whitley served two years as Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue during the administration of Governor Jim Edgar. Prior to that, Whitley was president of the Taxpayers’ Federation of Illinois for 14 years. In earlier years, he was a legislative staff member in the Illinois House of Representatives. Whitley has been a registered Illinois lobbyist for more than 30 years.
Throughout his career, Whitley has held leadership positions with numerous business and civic organizations. Whitley co-founded and co-chairs the Transportation for Illinois Coalition, and the Chamber is a founding member of the Illinois Coalition for Jobs, Growth and Prosperity. Whitley’s other leadership positions have included the Illinois Business Roundtable, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Club of Chicago and Mayor Daley’s Work Force Development Board. Whitley serves on the Illinois Workforce Investment Board and the Employers’ Advisory Board to the Illinois Department of Labor. He is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Executives’ Club, and the Illinois State Historical Society.
A lifelong Illinois resident, Whitley holds a bachelor’s degree in government and history from Southern Illinois University. He was granted an honorary doctorate degree from Western Illinois University in 1999. Whitley spent his youth in Atwood, a small, central Illinois farming community of 1,200, where he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Whitley and his wife Joanne live in Kane County; they have three children.