Lake County Gazette

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has installed Bria Scudder as his deputy governor for public safety, infrastructure, environment and energy.

“Scudder has already shown her dedication to public service and the people of Illinois through her hard work earlier in my administration, and I’m thrilled to welcome her back to continue that work as deputy governor,” said Pritzker. “Her portfolio includes some of the most important issues currently facing our state, and I’m looking forward to working with her to continue making Illinois stronger.”

Global Affairs wrote that Scudder worked with 50 state agencies in response to their needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Slated to begin in her new post on April 10, Scudder previously worked in the Governor’s Office as first assistant to Christian Mitchell, the former deputy governor. Mitchell stepped down from his role earlier this month.

“These key issues (public safety, infrastructure, environment and energy) affect our state everyday, and together, under strong Democratic leadership, we can create safer communities, maintain a world-class transportation system, and meet our clean energy goals,” the Democratic Party of Illinois wrote on Twitter.

Scudder currently serves as director of State Government Affairs for the Midwest region at AbbVie, managing state- and local-related issues in 12 states, and previously served as first assistant deputy governor in Pritzker’s administration.

According to Global Affairs, Scudder got her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2009.

“I'd like to thank Gov. Pritzker for his leadership and trusting me with such an important role." Scudder said in a release. "I'm looking forward to serving the people of Illinois and making strides towards safer communities, maintaining a world-class transportation system, and meeting our clean energy goals.”

Before serving in the governor’s office, Scudder was the senior government and community liaison at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. She has also worked as a staff member for the Illinois House of Representatives and managed several state Statehouse campaigns. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri- Columbia.