Legislator luncheon with IL Sen. Julie Morrison and IL Sen. Elgie Sims

At the heart of IVCA’s mission is our commitment to advocacy on behalf of Illinois’ venture capital and private equity community. One of the most impactful benefits of your membership is the opportunity to engage directly with state legislators through our IVCA-PAC LegislatorConnection Series.

These intimate luncheons offer a unique forum not only to share how policy decisions affect your firm, but also to hear directly from lawmakers about the issues shaping their legislative agendas and the future of Illinois. It’s a two-way dialogue that strengthens our collective voice and deepens our understanding of the state’s direction.

Join us on Friday, June 27, 2025

12:00 noon – 1:15 pm

Gibsons Italia, 233 N Canal, Chicago

• IL State Senator Julie Morrison (D-29), Majority Caucus Whip
• IL State Senator Elgie Sims, Majority Caucus Appropriations Leader

To register, please contact Kathy Pyne directly at kpyne@illinoisvc.org.

Biographies

Illinois State Senator Julie Morrison (D) Majority Caucus Whip

1. District: Julie Morrison was elected Senator of Illinois’ 29th Senate District in November 2012. The current 29th District includes part or all of 22 communities from the Great Lakes Naval Training Station on the north, to Wilmette on the south, and west into Buffalo Grove. It includes portions of Bannockburn, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Glencoe, Glenview, Green Oaks, Highland Park, Highwood, Knollwood, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Mettawa, Mount Prospect, Northbrook, North Chicago, Northfield, Prospect Heights, Riverwoods, Wilmette and Wheeling.
2. Background information: Senator Morrison was born in the downstate community of Beardstown and graduated from Knox College. She was a member of the Statewide Advisory Council of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services until 1996, serving as chair for the last two of those years. Prior to her election as Senator, she served as Supervisor of West Deerfield Township, a position she held for 15 years. Senator Morrison and her husband Joe reside in Lake Forest and are the parents of three adult children.
3. Committee Assignments: Insurance (Chair); Appropriations; Approp- Health and Human; Environment and Conservation; Health and Human Services (Vice-Chair); Veterans Affairs

Illinois State Senator Elgie Sims (D) Majority Caucus Appropriations Leader

1. District: Elgie Sims represented the 34th IL House district from 2012-2018 and has represented the 17th IL Senate district since 2018. His district consists of all or parts of Aroma Park, Burnham, Calumet City, Chicago, Eagle Lake, Grant Park, Hopkins Park, Kankakee, Lansing, Lynwood, Momence, Plum Valley, Sauk Village, South Holland, St. Anne, Sun River Terrace and Willowbrook.
2. Biography: Sims is a Chicago native, growing up on Chicago’s far southside West Pullman neighborhood. He graduated from Quigley Prep Seminary South High School and received his B.A. from Illinois State University. Post undergrad, while working for Senate President Emil Jones as a budget analyst and then Appropriation Director, Sims earned his M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Illinois, Springfield. He has his law degree from Loyola University in Chicago and is Of Counsel at Foley and Lardner. Elgie Sims resides in the Chatham neighborhood with his wife and two daughters.
3. Committee assignments: Appropriations (Chair); Child Welfare; Criminal Law (Vice-Chair); Health and Human Services; Judiciary; Revenue; Special Issues (Sub-Vice-Chair); Torts (Sub-Chair); Criminal Law Clear Compliance (Sub-Chair); Criminal Law Special Issues (Sub-Chair).