Illinois Valley Times

Longtime civic employee Brittany Ladd recently agreed to become assistant director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity after being appointed by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Ladd will replace Andria Winters, who accepted a position with Intersect Illinois.

Ladd, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Northwestern University, is currently the Department of Commerce’s chief operations officer, responsible for day-to-day management, with an emphasis on customer service and the values of efficiency and transparency. Ladd also manages the department’s budget and provides strategic direction.

Previously, Ladd worked as a management consultant with Accenture, a professional-services firm in Chicago specializing in digital technology and operations. Ladd contributed her expertise at Accenture to help transform numerous corporations and government agencies.

Early on in her career, Ladd served as an associate security operations analyst for Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA), based in Washington, D.C.

Ladd’s public-sector background includes having worked in the Governor’s Office and on the presidential campaigns of both Mitt Romney and John McCain. Ladd also worked for Rauner prior to his taking office. Ladd's specialties include change management, customer-relationship handling, knowledge management, political and crisis communications, public relations and media tactics, and government relations strategy.

Formerly known as the Illinois Business and Economic Development Corp., Intersect Illinois strives to increase the state’s competitiveness in job creation and investment.