Prairie State Wire

Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation issued the following announcement on March 23.

Building on a strong team of diverse experts in their fields, Governor JB Pritzker named Mario Treto, Jr. to serve as Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate. Treto currently serves as the Director of the Division of Real Estate for IDFPR. Treto will assume the role from current IDFPR Secretary Deborah Hagan, who is retiring after nearly 40 years of service at the Attorney General's Office and IDFPR. The Governor also named Laurie A. Murphy, currently the Deputy Director of the Division of Real Estate, to replace Treto as the Director of that Division.

"Mario Treto Jr. and Laurie Murphy have proven themselves exemplary leaders, and I'm thrilled to welcome them to their new roles at IDFPR," said Governor JB Pritzker. "As the head regulator for Illinois' real estate industry, Mario has not only vastly improved the Division's processes, but he has spearheaded critical diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. I'm grateful that Mario shares our vision of ensuring the safety of our residents and our financial institutions, while increasing diverse representation across all regulated industries to help better reflect our state. I also want to wish Deborah Hagan all the best in her retirement and commend her unwavering advocacy on behalf of Illinois consumers and families."

"I am honored to continue to work on behalf of the people of Illinois as Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation," said Mario Treto, Jr., Acting Secretary of IDFPR. "Together we can ensure that Illinois continues to defend the interests of consumers and provide critical services to our residents. I want to thank Governor Pritzker for the opportunity to serve and empower communities across Illinois."

 

"I'm grateful to be appointed by Governor Pritzker to continue to serve the great state of Illinois as the Director of the Division of Real Estate," said Acting Director of the Division of Real Estate of the IDFPR Laurie Murphy.  "Protecting the health and safety of consumers remains a top priority for the Department, and I look forward to continuing our mission."

During Mario Treto, Jr.'s tenure as the Director of Real Estate at the IDFPR, he led the state's real estate industry, overseeing professional education, licensure and discipline for nearly 100,000 licensees working in five real estate-related professions. He was instrumental in revising the Real Estate License Act to reflect more modern and efficient regulatory practices for the next decade. As an agency diversity, equity, and inclusion leader, Treto has doubled the number of real estate scholarships for minorities and increased the Division's staff and board diversity. Previously, Treto served as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Evanston where he provided legal counsel to its elected officials, departments, and staff with compliance, transactional, and corporate matters. Prior to entering the public sector, he worked at a Chicago-based law firm focusing his practice on commercial and residential real estate, corporate law and commercial transactions. Treto is a nationally recognized lawyer by various organizations, including the International Municipal Lawyers Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the National LGBT Bar. Treto also serves as board chair of Howard Brown Health. Treto received his Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis and Juris Doctor from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

Laurie Murphy came to IDFPR with more than 20 years of real estate experience. In her tenure as Deputy Director of the Division of Real Estate, she's helped develop processes to increase efficiencies within the Division, while serving as a liaison to the Department's advisory boards, auditors, and trade associations. She's also served as IDFPR's Chief of Boards and Complaints for Real Estate Brokerage and Community Association Management. Murphy currently holds a Real Estate Managing Broker License and has previously served as a Designated Managing Broker as well as a small business owner. Murphy received her Bachelor of Science from Northern Illinois University.

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.

Original source can be found here.