Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati has been appointed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board.
In addition to her role as mayor, Ms. Rayapati is an instructor at Augustana College, where she teaches Music Department classes and courses offered through the Augustana Prison Education Program.
Before she was elected mayor, Ms. Rayapati was president and vice president of Moline-Coal Valley School Board. She is a 2020 recipient of the YWCA’s Race against Racism Award and the Love Girls 2025 Legacy Award, a graduate of the 2025 APAICS National Leadership Academy, a 2023 Edgar Fellow. She is a 2020 graduate of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy.
Ms. Rayapati serves on the boards of United Way Quad Cities, Visit Quad Cities and Rock Island Arsenal Defense Alliance. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Music from Valparaiso University, and earned both her Master’s degree and her Doctor of Arts in Music from University of Minnesota.
The Illinois Workforce Innovation Board (IWIB) is designed to bring together leaders from government, business, labor, education, and community organizations who are appointed by the governor to ensure that Illinois has the talent it needs for both today and the future.
The IWIB oversees the development, execution, and periodic updates of the Illinois WIOA State Plan. By convening all required programs and partners, the voard provides strategic oversight for Illinois’s workforce development system.
Through standing committees and workgroups, IWIB members from both the private and public sectors review policies, gather feedback from partner organizations and the public, and deliver recommendations that enhance our state’s workforce ecosystem.
The IWIB Strategic Planning Framework, outlined in the 2025 IWIB Strategic Plan Booklet, aligns workforce programs, educational initiatives, and economic development across Illinois. It sets clear objectives and priority actions, calling on IWIB to collaborate closely with Local Workforce Innovation Boards and other partners to achieve better outcomes for both businesses and job seekers.
