| Jim Underwood
Executive Director
Jim Underwood, who has been Deputy Director of the Capital Development Board’s (CDB) Construction Division during the recent surge of construction under Governor Pat Quinn’s Illinois Jobs Now! capital program, has been named the new CDB Executive Director by a unanimous vote of the CDB Board.
“I am honored to be chosen to lead the dedicated and talented team of professionals at CDB as we continue to create construction jobs and build toward Illinois’ future,” said Underwood.
The 55-year-old Underwood replaces acting CDB Executive Director Gus Behnke, who had temporarily headed the agency following the December 31, 2010 retirement of former Executive Director Jim Riemer.
Underwood joined CDB in September 2008 as Deputy Director of Construction. Prior to that, he was Chief Executive Officer of Illinois Correctional Industries from February 2003 to August 2008, personnel manager for the Department of Corrections from February 2003 to March 2004, and the Illinois Secretary of State’s Physical Services Construction Division Chief from January 2001 to January 2003. Underwood was an apprentice and journeyman wireman and served as assistant business manager for IBEW Local 146 in Decatur. He earned a BA in Labor Studies at the Antioch College AFL-CIO George Meany Center for Labor Studies.
Underwood resides in Maroa with his wife, April, who is a teacher at Maroa-Forsyth Junior High School, and their two sons.
The Capital Development Board is the construction management arm of Illinois state government. With approximately 120 employees throughout the state, CDB oversees the design and construction of college and university facilities, public safety centers, museums and historic sites, state recreation areas, health centers, office buildings and prisons. In addition, CDB is responsible for repair and renovation projects at more than 8,400 state-owned properties, as well as the removal of environmental hazards and the upgrading of facilities to meet accessibility standards. The CDB also spearheads the state’s “Green Building” initiative to incorporate energy-saving, environmentally-friendly design elements in most state construction projects.
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