HR0815 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0815 LRB099 14581 GRL 38764 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Wes Lujan on the occasion of being promoted to the position of Vice President of Public Affairs for the Western Region of the Union Pacific Railroad; and

WHEREAS, Wes Lujan earned his Bachelor of Arts in History with Honors from Chicago State University in 1997 and his Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California in 1999; he completed the University of Chicago's Executive Development Program in 2011; and

WHEREAS, Wes Lujan has continuously served as a legislative advocate in multiple states since 1999; prior to his promotion, he served as the Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs for the Union Pacific Railroad in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, where he has represented America's largest class one freight railroad before legislatures and communities in the upper Midwest; he previously served as Union Pacific's Director of Public Affairs in Northern California and Nevada and was the Director of Public Affairs in Illinois from 2010 to 2012; he also serves as the principal liaison for the Metra Commuter Railroad in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Prior to his work for the Union Pacific, Wes Lujan served as a contract lobbyist at Advocation, Inc., where he represented numerous local governments, developers, Blue Chip corporations, and various transportation companies before the California State Legislature; and

WHEREAS, Wes Lujan has served as the Chairman of the Illinois Railroad Association and was a member of the Illinois State Chamber Board of Directors; he was a member of the Chicago Cook Workforce Investment Board, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Policy Committee, the Illinois Freight Advisory Council, and the Minnesota Regional Railroads Association; he was also a member of the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Coalition Board of Directors; and

WHEREAS, Wes Lujan quickly became a valued and well-liked member of the advocacy corps on the rail in Springfield and all across Illinois; his calm and respectful demeanor will be missed and hard to replace; and

WHEREAS, Wes Lujan was named an inaugural member of the "40 Under 40" list of young professionals by the Sacramento Business Journal in 2010; and

WHEREAS, In his free time, Wes Lujan enjoys spending time with his wife, Jenn, his son, Caleb, his daughter, Molly, and his 2 Great Danes; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Wes Lujan on the occasion of being promoted to the position of Vice President of Public Affairs for the Western Region of the Union Pacific Railroad and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Wes Lujan as a symbol of our esteem and respect.