Locke Lord Partner, RTA Chair Kirk Dillard to Receive Honorary Doctorate Degree From Western Illinois; Deliver Commencement Address

Locke Lord Partner Kirk Dillard, who chairs the Regional Transportation Authority of metropolitan Chicago, will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Western Illinois University and deliver the keynote address at the university’s Commencement ceremonies set for Saturday, December 19, 2015. Dillard received his bachelor’s degree from WIU in 1977. The Honorary Doctorate is the highest award Western Illinois University bestows on an individual who has made significant contributions to his or her career and to Western Illinois University.

Starting in 1994, Dillard served with distinction in the Illinois Senate, representing Chicagoland's western suburbs. He held a number of key leadership positions while in the Senate – including chairman of the Judiciary and Local Government committees – before stepping down in 2014 to assume the RTA chairmanship. Among his honors, Dillard was named to “Who’s Who in Chicago Business” by Crain’s Chicago Business and named an "Illinois Super Lawyer" and to the "Leading Lawyers Network" by his peers. Dillard also was former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar’s chief of staff and a judge on the Illinois Court of Claims.

Additional background on Dillard is available here.