State Representative Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) welcomed Ada Bair and Jami Hocker to Springfield on Tuesday, March 5, for an event that honored the contributions of Emerging Women Leaders from throughout the state.
“Ada Bair and Jami Hocker are accomplished women leaders with decades of experience in healthcare and business,” Rep. Hammond said. “I was proud to have them as my guests for the Emerging Women Leaders brunch in our capital city and to recognize their many contributions to our local communities. They embody our shared values of hard work, commitment, and generosity and I’m so glad they could join me for this special day in Springfield.”
Some of the highlights of the 2024 Emerging Women Leaders Recognition Event included:
- A keynote address by Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher
- A Listening Session with House Republican Leader Tony McCombie
- “Own Your Power” panel featuring Professor Linda Renee Baker with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute; Kara Demirjian Hus, Vice President for T.C.C.I. Manufacturing; Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White; and Susan Hayes Gordon, Senior Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officers for the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
- Tour of the Capitol Building with Andrea Aggertt, Architect of the Illinois State Capitol
- Leader McCombie recognized the group of women leaders on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives during Tuesday’s legislative session.
Ada Bair has served as CEO of Memorial Hospital in Carthage for 21 years. As a registered nurse and longtime CEO, Ada used her clinical leadership skills to propel her hospital to become a “5-Star Provider of Choice,” a highly competitive and coveted title grant to Memorial Hospital and its exceptional staff and administration. Bair received the 2021 Presidential Award from the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN), its highest award for exemplary and visionary leadership in rural healthcare. Ada was personally recognized by ICAHN for serving as the founding co-chair of the Illinois Rural Community Care Organization, as past Secretary-Treasurer, President-elect, and President of ICAHN’s Board of Directors, and for being instrumental in establishing the “Opioid Crisis Next Door” conference.
Jami Hocker owns Midwest Express & Hay Grinding. Her trucking company is a woman-owned business with DBE certifications from the Department of Transportation in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Hocker has a fleet of 20 trucks and a broker’s license to utilize owner operators. The agricultural side of her business specializes in cattle feed and hay grinding. Jami is a cattle feed commodity dealer, specifically gluten and distillers, and runs loads primarily in Il, Ia., and Mo.
***Courtesy of Representative Norina Hammond***
