CHICAGO - Party officials of the far western suburbs that make up Illinois' 14th CD appointed attorney Laura Pollastrini to succeed the late Stan Bond as the 14th CD IL GOP State Central Committeeman Saturday. While several candidates submitted their names for the volunteer party job, Pollastrini won with unanimous support.
The selection committee made up of county GOP officials within the 14th CD, along with IL GOP Chairman Tim Schneider and Co-Chairman Mark Shaw, queried the candidates after each submitted pages of questions and background information during the application process.
Pollastrini has been active in political circles for years - going back to the days when she worked in Senate President Pate Philip's district office. She now works at Northwestern College, where the following bio is featured:
Laura Pollastrini has been with Northwestern College since 2010 directing its government and public relations needs. She has served to guide the College through a turbulent period of caustic federal regulations promulgated against the proprietary sector of higher education, necessitating research, advocacy and community outreach. Laura has worked directly with the College’s President to apprise of potential regulatory effects to the institution and to prepare testimony for multiple hearings involving regulatory matters held in Washington, DC, Illinois and the Midwest. She has worked with all areas of the College to implement new regulatory mandates as well as to ensure compliance.
Laura is a licensed attorney who came from a private law firm in Chicago where her practice focused primarily on government matters and local prosecution. Prior to obtaining her law degree, she spent a decade handling media and public relations for the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, honing a wide range of journalistic skills and engaging media in several mediums, including print, radio, and television. During that period Laura became passionate about criminal justice and law enforcement and served on multiple task forces under the direction of the State’s Attorney, including the DuPage County Gang Task Force, the DuPage County Juvenile Justice Council and the DuPage County Children’s Advocacy Center.
Legislatively, Laura spent five years working directly for Illinois Senate President James ‘Pate’ Philip as his Legislative Aid and District Office Manager where she represented the Senator in and around the 23rdDistrict and personally resolved constituent issues involving nearly every state agency.
Now, Laura utilizes her legal, regulatory, legislative and public relations skills to advocate on behalf of Northwestern College with local, state and federal officials as well as stakeholders in government agencies and the media. She provides strategic and tactical government affairs/public relations consultation and support to both enhance the image of the College and respond to changes in statutory and administrative law.
Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Loyola University and a Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University College of Law. She is active in both state and local politics and has been elected to a number of public offices, including multiple 6-year terms to the DuPage County Regional Board of School Trustees, serving as both the Board’s President and Vice President.
