Jay Rowell is the Director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security. He was appointed by Governor Pat Quinn in June 2011 and was a lead state negotiator on the 2011 Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund reform legislation.

The legislation reduced taxes on Illinois businesses over the next eight years by $400 million. Jay partnered with the Internal Revenue Service on a new anti-fraud system that recovered more than $37 million in just five months. Before joining IDES, he was the Political Director for the Illinois Senate Democrats.