Two top members of Gov. JB Pritzker’s communications team are leaving their jobs in his administration, the governor announced Friday.
Jordan Abudayyeh and Jason Rubin, both deputy chiefs of staff, were among the longest-serving members of Pritzker’s administration, holding posts in the office dating back to the governor’s first campaign in 2018.
Replacing Abudayyeh and Rubin are Matt Hill, who takes the role of deputy chief of staff for communications, and Emily Bolton, who will be director of agency communications.
Hill was a senior director of communications and top spokesperson for last month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He previously worked in communications in President Joe Biden’s administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce and on the Biden campaign.
A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Hill said he anticipates starting in his new role after the November election.
Bolton previously handled communications for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Before DCEO, she worked for Chicago Public Schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.
Abudayyeh and Rubin “have been essential advisors since day one of this administration,” Pritzker said in a news release. They have each been working with the governor for more than six years.
Abudayyeh, who was well known by Illinois press as a main point of contact for the administration, said in a brief interview Friday afternoon that “it just felt like it was time for a new chapter.”
She declined to say what her plans are going forward but said she’s hopeful her next role will be similar to the one she held in Pritzker’s office: “communicating complex messages, being able to be a strategic adviser to people in power.”
Abudayyeh said she also hopes to continue to work closely with Rubin.
Rubin also declined to share what his next steps will be, and said it “felt like the right moment” to leave the administration.
Pritzker draws from his personal fortune to boost pay to top aides, increasing salaries by as much as $150,000 for his chief of staff, on top of the regular state salaries.
Abudeyyeh and Rubin were each receiving $75,000 a year through the company set up to handle the extra pay, on top of six figures from the state.
A spokesperson for the governor declined to share new compensation numbers until after the new leaders start in their positions.
Abudayyeh, a former TV journalist in Springfield, Naperville and Milwaukee, said she found working in government to be “more fulfilling than I ever thought it could be.”
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