Lance Pressl, Ph.D. , President of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Lance Pressl became President of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Foundation in December 2004. Pressl is charged with developing and implementing programs and events supporting the Chamber’s mission to create a long-term business growth and innovation agenda.

Pressl began his professional career in state government, serving as a budget analyst for the Illinois Bureau of the Budget, and later as the special assistant to the chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission. In 1987, he joined a small Chicago-based venture capital firm as vice president, and later served as director of corporate affairs and issues management for Philip Morris Companies, Inc.

In 1996, Pressl was named president of the Civic Federation. The leadership he demonstrated at the Civic Federation earned him a gubernatorial appointment to the Illinois Government Accountability Council. Pressl ran and won the Democratic primary election in March 2000 and became the Democratic Candidate for the Eighth Congressional District of Illinois.

Pressl was appointed senior associate for government and public policy for the American Council on Education in November 2003 and previously served as vice president for federal relations and public policy at the Council of Graduate Schools, based in Washington, D.C.

Pressl earned his BA, MA and Ph.D. in political from Northwestern University.