Carlos R.Charneco, Equal Opportunity Officer/Director
Illinois Department of Employment Security
Maureen T. O'Donnell, State Administrator Recipient
Illinois Department of Employment Security
The William J. Harris Award was established to recognize excellence in the field of equal opportunity (EO)
and to honor a state workforce agency administrator and the workforce agency's EO director/officer for
outstanding accomplishments within the agency.
Carlos R. Charneco
Recognized for his outstanding activities and strong support, Equal Opportunity Officer Carlos Charneco
of the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) is this year?s recipient of the William J. Harris
Award. Mr. Charneco has significantly improved the complaint system for receiving and investigating charges
of discrimination filed by Agency clientele under Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans
with Disabilities Act by redesigning the complaint form, updating internal policies, and translating the internal
complaint form in Spanish and Polish.
Carlos Charneco has been with the Illinois Department of Employment Security since 1980. He has
been working for the Office of Equal Opportunity since 1996, serving as the EO Monitor and later as the
Compliance EO Monitor.
Appointed the Agency's EO Officer in 2004, Mr. Charneco has served as a member of the Governor's
New Americans Policy and Advocacy Interagency Task Force to assist integration of new immigrants into
Illinois. He has served as President of the Illinois Association of Hispanic State Employees and as a Board
Member of the Illinois Association of Agencies and Community Organizations for Migrant Advocacy. He is
a long time member of the International Association of Workforce Professionals, including Past President of
the Illinois Chapter.
Mr. Charneco holds a Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University where he majored in Spanish
American Studies. Mr. Charneco has been very active with the NASWA EO Committee and recognized for
his training support provided each year at the USDOL Civil Rights Center (CRC) Professional Development
Forum and for his responsiveness to CRC staff regarding the data collection and maintenance requests and
requirements.
Maureen T. O'Donnell
This year the state workforce agency recognized for having an outstanding Equal Opportunity (EO)
program is the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). The state workforce administrator and
the Agency's EO officer are duly reviewed and awarded the William J. Harris Award. Under the direction
of Maureen T. O'Donnel, Director, Illinois Department of Employment Security, the EO program actively
promotes and ensures equal opportunity in employment and services to all individuals regardless of race,
color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, or belief. One of the key essentials to
having a successful EO program is to have the leadership guidance and full support from the highest level
within the State.
Staff members regularly attend training seminars sponsored by the Illinois Department of Human
Rights. These seminars include Sexual Harassment, Sexual Orientation, Diversity Awareness, Intercultural
Communication, Conflict Resolutions and the American Disability Act (ADA). Designated EO staff attend
annual training in developing and implementing the Affirmative Action plan from the Illinois Department
of Human Rights, and have attended the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Training Institute seminars, which provide legal updates, instruction on conducting internal complaints
and ADA updates.
The IDES offices frequently use additional resources to improve services for Illinois residents and to ensure their
equal opportunity in the labor force. A key tool for this is the comprehensive labor market information (LMI)
which IDES' Economic Information and Analysis Staff collect, prepare, and publish for use by employers, job seekers,
government agencies, educators, and economic developers.
In addition, the Illinois Department of Employment Security offers an avenue to unsubsidized training opportunities
in the private sector through the Apprenticeship Information Center (AIC). The AIC provides guidance to persons
interested in becoming apprentices in the construction trades. Operating through IDES/Illinois WorkNet Centers,
specially trained IDES professionals in the nine-county metropolitan area of Chicago provide information on specific
prerequisites and application procedures for 26 trades and 53 apprenticeship programs.
Maureen O'Donnell is the Director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security, having been confirmed by the
Illinois Senate in November 2008. Ms. O'Donnell is a champion of customer service and is known for her emphasis
on organizational and process management. Her success in the private and public sector as a leader and an agent of
change was built upon identifying new efficiencies within an organization, creating better ways to deliver the product,
and anticipating new opportunities. She has extensive experience in healthcare, telecommunications, transportation,
insurance, human capital, risk management, construction and information technology.
Prior to assuming her role at the Department of Employment Security, Ms. O'Donnell was Acting Director at the
Illinois Department of Central Management Services.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Northern Illinois University; a Juris Doctor from DePaul
College of Law; and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at
Northwestern University.
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