Grace Hou has served as Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services for Governor JB Pritzker since October 10, 2023. As the Deputy Governor, Grace oversees twelve Health and Human Services cabinet agencies, boards or commissions whose impact touches every corner of Illinois. Under her leadership, the Health and Human Services team tackles several critical initiatives such as implementing the state’s plan to eradicate medical debt, coordinating public health approaches to decreasing gun violence, establishing a Multi-Sector Plan on Aging, creating a cross-agency Justice Cabinet, amongst others. Previously, Grace served on Governor Pritzker’s Cabinet as the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services.

 

Notable achievements include leading Illinois with one of the highest response rates for the U.S. Census; launching the state’s inaugural gun violence prevention office; providing access to meals and public health insurance for Illinois families and children; and elevating awareness of mental illness patients and their path to recovery.

 

Grace also served as the Assistant Secretary, and was an architect of the nationally recognized Immigrant Integration New American’s Gubernatorial Executive Order. Grace is a child of Taiwanese immigrants, and has dedicated her career to advancing non-profit and public service sectors. Grace has served as the President of Woods Fund Chicago and as the Executive Director of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association where she became an advocate for immigrants’ rights. She is Board Chair of the American Public Human Services Association, member of the Healthy Communities Foundation Board, a member of The Commercial Club, the 2001 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, and a German Marshall Fellow.