Colleen Callahan

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Colleen Callahan Burns

| image = Colleen Callahan 2009 USDA RurDev IL.jpeg

| caption = USDA photo, 2009

| order = Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

| status =

| term_start = March 1, 2019

| term_end = January 16, 2023

| governor = J. B. Pritzker

| predecessor = Wayne Rosenthal

| successor = Natalie Phelps Finnie

| birth_name =

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| death_date =

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| death_cause =

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| nationality = American

| party = Democratic

| spouse = Dick Burns

| children = 1

| relatives = {{nowrap|Joe Callahan (grandfather)
Cheri Bustos (cousin)}}

| residence = Kickapoo, Illinois

| alma_mater = University of Illinois

| occupation = News reporter

}}

Colleen Callahan Burns is an agribusiness news reporter and Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. She was the Democratic nominee for Illinois's 18th congressional district in 2008.

Family

Callahan grew up on a farm near Milford, Illinois and graduated as salutatorian from Milford Township High School in May 1969.{{cite web|url=http://www.colleencallahan.com/pdf/Colleen-Callahan-Resume.pdf|title=Colleen Callahan Burns (resume)|date=2007-10-04}}{{cite web|url=http://www.colleencallahan.com/about.html|title=Colleen Callahan Communications - About|publisher=Colleen Callahan Communications|date=2008-06-06|accessdate=2010-02-04}}{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Daniel P. |date=2017-06-22 |title=University of Illinois Alumni |url=https://uiaa.org/2017/06/22/2017-alumni-award-recipient-colleen-callahan-burns-73-aces/ |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=University of Illinois Alumni |language=en-US}}

Her family has long been active in politics in downstate Illinois. Her father, Francis Callahan, was chair of the Iroquois County Democrats. Her grandfather, Joseph R. Callahan, was in the Illinois House of Representatives. Her uncle, Gene Callahan, was the administrative assistant and press secretary for Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon (before Simon became a United States senator) and chief of staff for U.S. Senator Alan Dixon; his daughter, Cheri Bustos was the U.S. representative for the neighboring Illinois's 17th congressional district until 2023.{{cite web | url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obituaries/ct-gene-callahan-obituary-met-20140805-story.html | title = Gene Callahan, Illinois political aide and MLB lobbyist, 1935-2014 | first = Rick | last = Pearson | date = 2014-08-15 | work = Chicago Tribune | location = Chicago | edition = online | accessdate = 2019-06-07 }}[https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=174509 Our Campaign.com.-Colleen Callahan]

Callahan and her husband Dick Burns live on a farm near Kickapoo, Illinois, between Brimfield, Illinois and Peoria, where they raise purebred Angus cattle. They have a grown daughter who became a practicing attorney in Chicago.

Career

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1973, she moved to Peoria to work for WMBD (AM) until 2005.{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Holly |date=2016-12-02 |title=The Prairie Profile: Colleen Callahan |url=https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-business/the-prairie-profile-colleen-callahan |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=FarmProgress |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Tarter |first=Steve |date=2023-08-02 |title=Colleen Callahan: 'Warm, down to earth and knows her stuff' |url=https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2023-08-02/colleen-callahan-warm-down-to-earth-and-knows-her-stuff |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=WCBU Peoria |language=en}} She was agribusiness reporter for WMBD-TV and WCIA from 1974 to 1997.

In 2003, she went on a study trip to Afghanistan and Iraq, paid for at her own expense, at the invitation of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.{{cite web|url=http://www.colleencallahanforcongress.com/about/index.html|title=Central Illinois' voice of experience working for you in Washington|work=Callahan for Congress|publisher=Citizens For Callahan|date=2008-05-12|accessdate=2008-09-10|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903193029/http://www.colleencallahanforcongress.com/about/index.html|archivedate=September 3, 2008}} She started her own business, Colleen Callahan Communications, in 2003. At the beginning of 2003, she changed employers from WMBD in Peoria to WGFA in Watseka, Illinois; she has been agribusiness director at both stations.

In 2008, she ran for U.S. Representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district, a seat open by the retirement of Ray LaHood. She won the Democratic nomination, but lost the November 4 general election to Republican Aaron Schock, 59% to 38%, with 3% going to Sheldon Schafer.{{cite web |url=http://www.week.com/news/elections |title=Elections |work=WEEK News 25 website |publisher=Granite Broadcasting |date=2008-11-05 |accessdate=2008-11-05 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210192604/http://www.week.com/news/elections |archivedate=December 10, 2008 }} 100% of precincts reporting. Unframed data at {{cite web |url=http://bimedia.ftp.clickability.com/weekwebftp/election/WEBRACES.HTM |title=WEEK News 25 |accessdate=2011-02-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413091026/http://bimedia.ftp.clickability.com/weekwebftp/election/WEBRACES.HTM |archivedate=2009-04-13 }}.

On 13 June 2009, Callahan began work as United States Department of Agriculture Illinois State Director of Rural Development.{{cite press release | url = http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/il/press-releases/2009/0609-Callahan%20named.doc | first1 = Joan | last1 = Messina | first2 = Keith | last2 = Pirok | title = Colleen Callahan Named Illinois State Director for Rural Development | format = Microsoft Word | date = 2009-11-12 | publisher = USDA Rural Development Illinois | accessdate = 2010-02-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100305145625/http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/il/press-releases/2009/0609-Callahan%20named.doc | archive-date = 2010-03-05 | url-status = dead }}

In 2017, Colleen Callahan was named by J. B. Pritzker the co-chair of the latter's Agriculture Transition Committee.{{cite news|last=Finke|first=Doug|title=Pritzker names Ag transition committee|date=November 21, 2018|newspaper=The State Journal-Register|accessdate=November 23, 2018|url=https://www.sj-r.com/news/20181121/pritzker-names-ag-transition-committee}} Once Pritzker had become governor, Callahan became Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on March 1, 2019.{{cite web | url = https://herald-review.com/direction-of-idnr-under-pritzker-a-mystery/article_9e2dad89-fe70-581f-af4c-baee7e7cb59d.html | first = Les | last = Winkeler | title = Direction of IDNR under Pritzker a mystery | work = Herald & Review | edition = online | location = Decatur, Illinois | publisher = Lee Enterprises | date = March 23, 2019 | accessdate = 2019-06-07 }}{{Cite web |last=Kaergard |first=Chris |date=2019-02-19 |title=Colleen Callahan to head Illinois Department of Natural Resources |url=https://www.pjstar.com/story/news/politics/state/2019/02/19/colleen-callahan-to-head-illinois/5909603007/ |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=Peoria Journal Star |language=en-US}} Callahan stepped down as department director on January 16, 2023, and was succeeded by former state legislator and IDNR's deputy director Natalie Phelps Finnie.{{cite news|title=Pritzker Taps Political Scion as New Head of Illinois Department of Natural Resources|newspaper=WTTW|first=Patty|last=Wetli|date=January 24, 2023|access-date=September 11, 2023|url=https://news.wttw.com/2023/01/24/pritzker-taps-political-scion-new-head-illinois-department-natural-resources}}{{Cite web |last=Bowman |first=Dale |date=2023-01-07 |title=Colleen Callahan, the first woman to be director of the IDNR, is stepping down |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/1/6/23543273/colleen-callahan-first-woman-director-idnr-stepping-down |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |language=en}}

Civic participation

Callahan has served on the boards of many local organizations, including:

Peoria YWCA
Nature Conservancy Great Rivers Regional Board
Youth for a Cause
The Children's Home in Peoria
University of Illinois ACES Alumni Association (President)
Morton Community Bank

She has also served as a member of the St. Francis Medical Center Women's Health Services Public Relations Committee, and is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She has been heavily involved in the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB), was its first female president, and was chairman of the NAFB Ethics Committee.

She has also been active in local Catholic schools, serving on the education board at St. Mary's grade school in Kickapoo and assisting Peoria Notre Dame High School.

References

External links

[http://www.colleencallahan.com/ Colleen Callahan Consultancy] — official website
{{webarchive | url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081211104947/http://www.colleencallahanforcongress.com/ | date = December 11, 2008 | title = Colleen Callahan for Congress}} — official 2008 campaign website
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080903195139/http://blog.colleencallahanforcongress.com/ Colleen Callahan's blog] from 2008 political campaign
[https://www.youtube.com/user/ColleenforCongress08 Colleen Callahan 08] on YouTube
{{CongLinks | congbio= | votesmart=106318 | fec=H8IL18076 | congress= }}
[http://opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?id=IL18&cycle=2008 Campaign contributions] at OpenSecrets.org

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:American motivational speakers

Category:American women motivational speakers

Category:American radio reporters and correspondents

Category:American television reporters and correspondents

Category:American women television journalists

Category:Candidates in the 2008 United States elections

Category:Catholics from Illinois

Category:Farmers from Illinois

Category:Illinois Democrats

Category:Journalists from Illinois