Illinois Legislative Panel Event - "What's Happening Down in Springfield"

Come on out for this informative discussion featuring local legislatures
(listed below) having a constructive dialogue about pressing issues affecting our business community as well as other important topics in the community being decided on in Springfield.
Featuring:
Assistant Majority Leader State Senator Laura Murphy
State Senator Cristina Castro
Representative Michelle Mussman
NEW: House Minority Leader Representative Tony McCombie
Representative Dan Ugaste

This important Legislative Panel Event, will be Moderated by Daily Herald's Jim Slusher, Brought to you by SBA & Village of Schaumburg. Light breakfast included!

Featuring Assistant Majority Leader State Senator Laura Murphy

Born into a middle-class family in Park Ridge, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She spent the last 20 years as an active member of the Des Plaines community, including eight years as an alderman for the city’s 3rd Ward.

Murphy has over two decades of experience in health care and social services management. As a member of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, she worked to educate youth on alcohol and tobacco prevention.

Murphy was appointed to the Illinois State Senate in 2015 to represent the 28th Senate District. That district neighbors O’Hare International Airport and includes all or parts of Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows, Roselle and Schaumburg.

In 2020, she was appointed Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate. Then, in 2023, she was appointed Assistant Majority Leader. Murphy also serves as chair of the Committee on Executive Appointments, and as a member of the Committees on Appropriations, Assignments, Executive, Higher Education, Labor, Local Government, Public Health and Transportation

Her working-class background and previous professional experience inform her views on government as an entity that should work toward the betterment of the people and reinforce her belief in the importance of education, public safety and fighting corruption and waste in state government.

Senator Murphy lives in Des Plaines with her husband and son.

Featuring State Senator Cristina Castro

State Senator Cristina Castro represents the 22nd District, which includes all or part of 11 different communities located within Cook and Kane County. She is a second-generation Mexican-American and lifelong district resident who is committed to her community and to public service. Castro’s involvement in the community started during high school when she participated in student groups, volunteered at school functions and helped coordinate and plan activities at school and in the Elgin community.

Through these volunteer efforts she discovered her deep passion for helping others and working with the community. After high school, Castro received an associate degree from Elgin Community College. She became the first person in her family to earn a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from Northern Illinois University. Castro’s public service career began in 2008 when she was elected to the Kane County Board where she served until 2016. In addition to the Kane County Board, she served on the board of directors for the Illinois Housing Development Authority, Black History Family Festival and Centro de Información. With her marketing and communications management background, Castro has held positions in both the public and private sector. In 2015, she decided to run for the Illinois State Senate with the intention of using her professional background, life experiences and compassion to represent the interests and concerns of the people of the 22nd District.

In her role as a state senator, she has stood up for working families and is never afraid to ask the tough questions. She has reached across the aisle on the issues that matter most to the people in her district and works in a bipartisan fashion to help solve problems to move Illinois in the right direction. Senator Castro is the Majority Caucus Whip for the 103rd General Assembly, and is Chairperson of the Executive Committee. She is a member of the Latino Caucus and also serves on the Appropriations, Energy and Public Utilities, Insurance, Labor and Revenue Committees.

Castro and her husband, Joe McKeown, reside on the east side of Elgin with their four dogs.

State Representative Michelle Mussman

State Representative Dan Ugaste

Representative Dan Ugaste was first elected to the Illinois House in 2018. He represents the 65th District, which includes the far western suburbs of Chicagoland, including the areas in and around Campton Hills, Elburn, Elgin, Geneva, Lily Lake, South Elgin, St. Charles, Wayne, and West Chicago. Rep. Ugaste is a former shareholder and attorney at the firm of Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie, and Lowry, where he specialized in worker’s compensation defense and other related litigation. Rep. Ugaste continues to focus on pro-growth legislation and policies, helping to bring economic development and better career opportunities for the residents of Illinois. He is also committed to and advocates for transparency and accountability in the Illinois House, where he serves on several committees as well.

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie

Representative Tony McCombie is serving her fifth term as State Representative for Northwest Illinois and her second term as House Republican Leader. She made history as the first woman elected House Minority Leader in Illinois. Before heading to Springfield, McCombie honed her leadership skills serving on her local chamber board, as an Alderperson and later as the Mayor of Savanna, Illinois.

A proud Savanna native, McCombie’s roots run deep, though she moved around with her family due to her father’s Army service, her family always found her way back home. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Western Illinois University, focusing on Business and Sociology. Her career path has been anything but boring—she’s worked in the corporate world of banking and insurance, owned and operated several small businesses, and practiced real estate before stepping into the role as minority leader.

As a legislator, McCombie is focused on job creation, property tax relief, and holding government accountable. Since flipping the seat in 2016, she has worked —logging tens of thousands of miles across her district to connect with residents and address their concerns firsthand. McCombie has been married to her husband, Curt, for almost 20 years. Together, they embrace the great outdoors, spending time with family and friends in what she would argue is one of the most beautiful parts of the state.