From the Office of Gov. JB Pritzker, Human Rights Commission — Mony Ruiz-Velasco will serve as a Member of the Human Rights Commission. Ruiz-Velasco is a human rights advocate, attorney, organizer, and community leader.
She currently serves as Special Advisor on immigration and LGBTQ+ matters at the Illinois Department of Human Services. Previously, she was Deputy Director at Equality Illinois, the state’s oldest and most effective LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, where she worked to advance a more equitable Illinois for all LGBTQ+ people.
For nearly three decades, Ruiz-Velasco has worked to advance immigrant justice combining organizing, advocacy, and legal efforts. She previously served as Executive Director at PASO – the West Suburban Action Project, and before that, as Director of Legal Services at the National Immigrant Justice Center, providing and overseeing immigration legal services for thousands of immigrants and their families—in addition to engaging and training hundreds of pro bono attorneys.
Ruiz-Velasco also worked to advance legislation protecting immigrant communities including the Illinois Trust Act, the VOICES Act, the RISE Act, and promoted legislation advancing rights and protections for LGBTQ+ people. She has a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law and a B.A. in English Literature from Texas A&M University.