Gary Skoien
Gary Skoien, a former delegate to the Republican National Convention, has spent nearly 35 years at the forefront of the Illinois’ regional political scene as both an activist and a businessman. A resident of Palatine, Illinois, Skoien is currently Chairman of a local republican organization known as TOPPERS, drawing on extensive administrative experience in both the public and private sectors.
Recently serving as President and CEO of the Chicago-based real estate management firm Horizon Group Properties, Inc., Gary Skoien began his career as an Analyst for the Illinois Bureau of the Budget in the state capital. In his position at the Illinois Bureau office, Gary Skoien managed a $3 billion budget and conceived a predictive financial model that anticipated Medicaid spending.
In 1980, Gary Skoien moved directly from the state’s Bureau of the Budget to the Governor’s office, where he functioned as a liaison between the various Directors of Human Services agencies and Governor James R. Thompson. Working as Thompson’s assistant, Skoien supervised internal operations for state agencies including the Illinois Departments of Public Aid, Children and Family Services, and Mental Health. Before leaving this post in 1983, Skoien engineered the closure of several mental health institutes, as well as coordinating the reallocation of their residents to alternative facilities.
Gary Skoien subsequently served for eight years as an Executive Director for the Illinois Capital Development Board, overseeing more than $2 billion in state construction projects. Among Skoien’s major accomplishments in this role was his creation of an expedited construction agenda for new prison building projects, necessitated by the profound overcrowding of the state’s penal institutions.
In addition to his extensive professional involvement with civic institutions, Gary Skoien has also performed in several expressly political roles as an involved citizen. Skoien’s political affiliations include former positions as a Chairman for Cook County’s Republican Party and a Committeeman for the Palatine Republican Township.
My Links
- Gary Skoien on BigSight
- Gary Skoien, Blog
- Gary Skoien @ Twitter
- Gary Skoien at PeoplePond
- Gary Skoien on LinkedIn
Professionals