Welcome Rosanna Márquez AARP Illinois New State President!

Following a statewide search, Rosanna Márquez, of Chicago, has been named as AARP Illinois State President effective immediately. As State President, which is a volunteer position, Ms. Márquez will work closely with the Association’s Illinois Executive Council and State Director Bob Gallo, leading AARP’s 1.7 million Illinois members.

“I am very excited to be joining AARP as it seeks to engage in more meaningful ways with prospective partners and its target constituency in every community in Illinois,” said Ms. Márquez. “The AARP Illinois Office has been at the forefront of this work and I am pleased to join State Director Bob Gallo in leading these efforts.”

Ms. Márquez has a long and outstanding career in public service, policy making and philanthropy. She was the President and CEO of the Eleanor Foundation, a Chicago-based non-profit focused on promoting economic security for working women. Previously, she was the Midwest Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton Administration, overseeing an annual $3 billion budget in 11 offices over a six-state region. She was also the Director of Programs under Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, and a litigator with Mayer Brown, LLP. Ms. Marquez has a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign.

Ms. Márquez’s current volunteer efforts throughout the Chicago area reflect the commitment to community central to AARP. Her volunteer board and other work includes: the Chicago Metropolitan Housing Development Corporation; City of Chicago Community Land Trust; Business and Professional People in the Public Interest; Teatro Vista; Leadership Greater Chicago Fellows Association; and the Chicago History Museum.

“Volunteers are the voice and face of AARP in states and communities, working diligently with staff to implement our policies and programs,” said AARP Illinois State Director Bob Gallo. “I am thrilled that Rosanna will be my partner and ally in ensuring that our state plans, activities and programs are flawlessly executed, and that we integrate our work at the state and community level with the work that AARP is leading both at the regional and national level.”