Amy Meek to serve as Deputy Director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights

“Alex Bautista has been an essential advisor for the last 6 years. He was thoughtful, deliberate, and collaborative,” said IDHR Director Jim Bennett. “I am confident that Amy Meek will rise to the occasion in her new role as she leads our efforts to secure freedom from unlawful discrimination for all individuals in Illinois.”

 

At IDHR, Bautista oversaw enforcement operations for the Charge Processing Division and Fair Housing Division. He also actively contributed to the development and implementation of agency-wide programs that impacted legislation, publications, training, auditing, public affairs, and technology. 

 

“It has been an honor and a privilege to advance IDHR’s commitment to serve and protect the civil rights of all Illinoisans without fear or favor,” said Bautista. “I look forward to working with the Governor’s Office of New Americans to meet this moment in our national life where we seek to find modern and humane ways of responding to migration.”

 

Meek joins IDHR after four years of service to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General where she served as Chief of the Civil Rights Bureau. There she worked in partnership with IDHR on initiatives including developing joint guidance on Illinois Human Rights Act protections for pregnancy, childbirth, and reproductive decision-making and a letter to public officials addressing their safety concerns over anti-LGBTQ+ violence and harassment. 

 

She oversaw numerous innovations in the Attorney General’s Office, including the State’s first investigation and findings on the discriminatory impact of police ticketing practices in a school district. As IDHR Deputy Director, Meek will oversee enforcement of civil rights protections in employment, housing, financial credit, and public accommodations, including education.

 

“In a time of unprecedented nationwide threats to equality, IDHR's mission has never been more important,” said Meek. “I’m looking forward to leading enforcement of the Illinois Human Rights Act and ensuring that the Act’s robust anti-discrimination protections extend to all in Illinois.”

 

Previously, Meek held senior attorney positions at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and the ACLU of Illinois. She also taught at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law as the Civitas Childlaw Center’s Policy and Legislation Clinical Teaching Fellow. Before that, she served as Reentry Coordinator and Deputy Chief of Staff for the Mayor’s Office of the City of New Haven, Connecticut. She led the drafting of the Reproductive Health Act Bill.

 

Meek grew up in Illinois and earned a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Swarthmore College. She was selected as a 2020 Equity Fellow by Chicago United for Equity and has been a member of the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes since 2021.