Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has been appointed the Distinguished Director of Edgar Fellows, a bipartisan program examining civic leadership and public policy.
LaHood, who represented parts of Greater Peoria as a U.S. Congressman prior to his term as a Cabinet member, had been a longtime contributor to the group’s annual leadership seminar.
As the successor to late former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, LaHood now takes on an expanded role in annual programming, outreach efforts and supporting Edgar Fellows initiatives.
“I am honored and humbled to be named Distinguished Director of Edgar Fellows. My special thanks to Brenda Edgar and the Edgar Board of Directors for their trust and confidence to lead this outstanding leadership program,” LaHood said in a media release. “We plan to continue with the vision of our beloved Governor Edgar to recognize and develop bipartisan leadership for Illinois.”
Founded by Edgar in 2012, the nonprofit Edgar Fellows program maintains an affiliation with the University of Illinois while seeking to reflect the state’s geographic, ethnic and political diversity.
Striving to preserve Edgar’s legacy, the organization designs its annual week long leadership seminar that brings together 40 early to mid-career professionals. It also develops initiatives such as the College Capitol Connections and Fellows tours to foster mentorship and engagement among future leaders.
“Edgar Fellows is Jim’s living legacy to the State of Illinois,” former Illinois First Lady Brenda Edgar said in the release. “The entire Edgar family is pleased that long-time friend and respected Illinoisian Ray LaHood will be joining the organization in this important role. We know that he will continue to reinforce the importance of principled, bipartisan leadership.”
