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STAFF Bio Archive
Jerry Stermer
Jerry Stermer is the former president of Voices for Illinois Children, which he led until 2009 since its founding in 1987 under the guidance of a statewide Board of Directors who bring energy, passion and a vision that we can and must do better for our children and families. Under Mr. Stermer's leadership, Voices has developed and nurtured a statewide network that weaves throughout Illinois communities, involving community leaders, parents and family members who care deeply about children and their futures. Since its founding, Voices has helped opinion leaders and policymakers understand the issues facing children and families and encouraged support for positive changes in policies and programs that have made a real difference.
During Mr. Stermer's tenure, Voices has ensured earlier public investments in children and has improved education, health care and healthy child development. Voices successfully promoted a comprehensive plan of access to health insurance for uninsured children and tax-credits for low-income, working families; secured a dramatic expansion of preschool and other early childhood programs; and championed the development of Healthy Families Illinois and the Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership.
Mr. Stermer serves in key leadership roles with a variety of government and private groups. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Illinois Early Learning Council and chairs the Illinois Child Support Advisory Committee. He was a commissioner of the 21st Century Commission of the City of Chicago and is a member of the board of both the Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation and Voices for America's Children. He has also served on the board of the United Way of Illinois and the Governor's Task Force on Human Services Reform.
Among the many awards and honors received by Mr. Stermer and Voices for Illinois Children are the Illinois Humane Society's 2008 Benjamin Gingiss Service Award for Advocacy for Vulnerable Children, the Chicago Center for Cultural Connections' Founders Award, and the Blue Bow Award from the Children's Home and Aid Society.
Prior to joining Voices, Mr. Stermer served in both the executive and legislative branches of state government. He was an assistant to the director and held other positions at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (1973 -1979) and was executive director of the Legislative Advisory Committee on Public Aid where he worked from 1979 to 1985. He was the Supervisor of Government Affairs for the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago (1985 -1987) and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador (1968 -1970). He holds a master's degree in political science from the University of Illinois, and he studied at a Catholic seminary, the Divine Word Missionaries, where he completed his bachelor's degree in liberal arts. He has been an adjunct professor at Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy for the past seven years. He and his wife, Nancy, have two adult children, Rachel and Daniel.
