Northern Illinois University President Lisa Freeman has been asked to serve as a delegate in Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s trade mission this week to Mexico.
Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), and Intersect Illinois, are being joined by public and private sector leaders from across the state on the trip.
A press release says the delegation will focus on “enhancing collaboration” in agriculture and food processing, finance and manufacturing.
In the release, Pritzker’s office says Mexico is the state’s second largest export market.
Additionally, Mexico is Illinois' third-largest import market, with Illinois importing over $19 billion in goods, including beverages, transportation equipment, and electronics.
Illinois farmers are among those that benefit the most with 1.56 billion dollars in exports in 2024.
The trip comes as President Trump’s tariffs on Mexico have brought uncertainty to the future of the U.S. trading relationship.
Trade mission delegation members include:
- JB Pritzker, State of Illinois, Governor
- Juliana Stratton, State of Illinois, Lt. Governor
- MK Pritzker, State of Illinois, First Lady
- Bryan Echols, State of Illinois, Second Gentleman
- Anne Caprara, Office of Governor JB Pritzker, Chief of Staff
- Andy Manar, Office of Governor JB Pritzker, Deputy Governor
- Claire Lindberg, Office of Governor JB Pritzker, First Assistant Deputy Governor
- Andrea Vallejo, Office of Governor JB Pritzker, Senior Special Projects Officer
- Natashee Scott, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Chief of Staff
- Teresa Reyes, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer
- Kristin Richards, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Director
- Cas Peters, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Chief Business Attraction Officer
- Omar Mendoza, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Managing Director of the Latin America & Caribbean Regional Trade Office
- Jerry Costello, Illinois Department of Agriculture, Director
- Bobby Dowson, Illinois Department of Agriculture, International Marketing Manager
- Carlos Cruz, Illinois Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness Director
- Celina Villanueva, Illinois State Senate, State Senator
- Cristina Castro, Illinois State Senate, State Senator, Majority Caucus Whip
- Elgie Sims, Illinois State Senate, State Senator, Appropriations Leader
- Elizabeth Hernandez, Illinois House of Representatives, State Representative, Deputy Majority Leader
- Robyn Gabel, Illinois House of Representatives, State Representative, Majority Leader
- John Atkinson, Intersect Illinois, Chairman
- Christy George, Intersect Illinois, President & CEO
- Paulina San Millan, Intersect Illinois, Senior Vice President of Business Development
- Robin Ficke, Intersect Illinois, Senior Vice President of Research
- Cathriona McGuire Fey, Intersect Illinois, Vice President of Clean Energy and Manufacturing
- Reyna Torres Mendivil, Consul General, Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago, Ambassador
- Adrian J "AJ" DeLeón, Innovare, CEO
- Robert Karr Jr., Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Partner
- Carly McCrory-McKay, Champaign County Economic Development Corporation and iFAB Tech Hub Executive Director & Chief Partnerships Officer
- Chris Setti, Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, CEO & Founding Partner
- Craig Meyer, JLL, President
- Dan Lynch, United Airlines, Vice President, State and Local Government Affairs
- Daniel Gamba, Northern Trust, President of Asset Management
- David Reifman, Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres, Partner
- Doug Pryor, Will County Center for Economic Development, President & CEO
- Elizabeth "Betsy" Ziegler, 1871, CEO
- Federico Gorbea, Archer Daniels Midland, President for North Latin America
- Gil Quiniones, ComEd, President & CEO
- Greg Bedalov , Choose DuPage, President & CEO
- Guillermo Garcia, GSG Consulting, Inc., President
- Jack Lavin, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, President & CEO
- Jaime di Paulo, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, President & CEO
- James Reynolds, Loop Capital, Chairman & CEO
- Jennifer Aguilar, Little Village Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director
- Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Will County, County Executive
- Jennifer Tirey, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Executive Director
- Jesse Ruiz, The Vistria Group, LP Partner, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer
- John Lumpe, Illinois Soybean Association, CEO
- John Lyons, DLA Piper, Partner
- Joseph Dominguez, Constellation, President & CEO
- Josh St. Peters, Illinois Beef Association, Executive Vice President
- Juan Salgado, City Colleges of Chicago, Chancellor
- Kaitlin Fahey, Magnify Strategies, CEO & Founding Partner
- Kara Demirjian-Huss, TCCI Manufacturing & DCC Marketing, Owner & Senior Vice President
- Kyle Kamin, CBRE, Vice Chairman
- Leonard Singh, Ameren Illinois, Chairman & President
- Lisa Freeman, Northern Illinois University, President
- Maria Bocanegra, Peoples Gas & North Shore Gas, President
- Mark Denzler, Illinois Manufacturers' Association, President & CEO
- Martin Cabrera, Cabrera Capital Markets, CEO
- Martin Montes, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Partner
- Meredith O'Connor, JLL, International Director
- Nicole Bateman, Economic Development Corporation of Decatur & iFAB Tech Hub, President & Chief Strategy Officer
- Oswaldo Alvarez, Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation, Executive Director
- Patrick Hoban, Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, CEO
- Rob Karr, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, President & CEO
- Rodney Weinzierl, Illinois Corn Growers Association, Executive Director
- Ryan McCrady, Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, President & CEO
- Sandy Hart, Lake County, Chairperson
- Timothy Killeen, University of Illinois System, President
- Wendell Dallas, Nicor Gas, President & CEO
