Douglas House joined his first Illinois Finance Authority (IFA) meeting this week shortly after Gov. J.B. Pritzker appointed him to the statewide panel that provides low-cost capital for qualified economic development projects.
Mr. House retired as deputy secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation shortly after the Dec. 1, 2021 ribbon-cutting on the new Interstate 74 bridge. He owns the local government affairs consulting firm Stoke Solutions and Strategies.
Last fall, Mr. House assisted Quad Cities’ leaders and lawmakers in securing $425 million in critical funding to help advance Moline-to-Chicago passenger rail service. That funding is contained in a hard-won and massive Illinois mass transit overhaul. It provides $1.5 billion a year in new mass transit dollars.
“I am very appreciative of the governor’s continued confidence in me,” Mr. House said on Tuesday, Jan. 12. “There is nothing more urgent or important to Governor Pritzker than fostering economic growth and job creation for our state and our region, so I could not be more excited to continue my work with him on that effort.”
Mr. House was appointed previously by Mr. Pritzker to the Quad Cities Regional Economic Development Authority (QCREDA).
His long public service career has focused on transportation, infrastructure, and workforce development at all levels of government, the governor’s office said in announcing his appointment. The Rockridge High School graduate served in the Illinois Air Force National Guard and the Army Reserves. He lives in Rock Island. But for many years he was the manager of municipal services for the City of Moline.
Mr. House also was a contract analyst with the Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana Foundation for Fair Contracting. He was inducted in 2023 into the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations’ (AFL-CIO) Organized Labor Hall of Fame.
About the IFA
The IFA was created in January 2004. Its 15-member board is charged with fostering economic development, creating and retaining jobs, and improving quality of life for Illinoisans. The authority bills itself as a nationally recognized conduit issuer in the tax‑exempt financing market and the commercial property assessed clean energy financing market.
It is one of the largest issuers of Private Activity Bonds and Property Assessed Clean Energy financing in the nation. The authority is designed to facilitate the funding of eligible projects by borrowers who create long-term economic value in communities.
PABs enable the charities and 501(c)(3) organizations to finance their capital infrastructure projects at generally lower interest rates and longer maturities – and to create long-term economic value for communities throughout Illinois, the IFA said.
That includes, the IFA said:
- Hospitals and health systems.
- Schools – research universities, colleges, charter schools and others;.
- Museums and cultural institutions.
- Organizations that provide housing for seniors, students and working people.
