Pritzker names CMS Director Raven DeVaughn senior advisor for legislation and policy

Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday named Raven DeVaughn, director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, as a senior advisor overseeing the legislative and policy portfolios in the Governor’s Office.¹ She starts the new job on Nov. 16.¹

Erin O’Boyle, the agency’s chief of staff, will serve as interim director of CMS after DeVaughn leaves, the Governor’s Office said.¹

What CMS does

The agency’s roughly 800 employees administer employee benefits, property and fleet management, human resources, labor relations and other services for state agencies, boards and commissions, according to the announcement.¹

DeVaughn has led the department since January 2023, after serving as its assistant director.¹ The Governor’s Office credited her with a hiring push that it said cut vacancies and grew the state workforce to more than 57,000 employees for the first time in 19 years.¹

The announcement also cited a $500 million program called Surplus to Success, which aims to put long-abandoned state properties back into use.¹ It said she led the completion of the James R. Thompson commercial real estate transaction, which the office said “generated nearly $1 billion in cost avoidance for taxpayers.”¹

Before CMS, DeVaughn held director-level jobs at the University of Chicago, World Business Chicago and the Public Building Commission of Chicago, the release said.¹ She has an undergraduate degree from Howard University and a law degree from the University of Illinois.¹

What they said

“Raven DeVaughn is a dedicated public servant who brings decades of experience to the role,” Pritzker said in the release.¹ “I look forward to working closely with her in this new role on critical policy and legislative priorities.”¹

“I’d like to thank Governor Pritzker for the opportunity to serve in this critical role,” DeVaughn said.¹ She said she looks forward to serving residents “as this administration continues to advance policies that help working families in every corner of this great state.”¹

The interim director

O’Boyle previously served as the agency’s deputy director for labor relations, acting as the state’s chief negotiator and spokesperson in bargaining with its largest unions, according to the release.¹ She is a Navy veteran and holds an undergraduate degree and a law degree from the University of Illinois.¹