A graduate of Roosevelt University, Judith Ellen Hamill initially earned a Bachelor of Music from Roosevelt University in 1975. Four years later, she received a master’s degree in urban planning and police from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Furthermore, she concluded her academic efforts with a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University in 1982. Since 2010, Ms. Hamill has excelled as the director of government relations for the John Marshall School of Law at the University of Chicago. Her responsibilities include securing funds for the law school from government resources at the federal, state and local levels. She also works alongside associates, who handle the donation of funds from various foundations and corporations in the area.
At the start of her illustrious career, Ms. Hamill worked as a staff assistant for Thomas H. Miner & Associates from 1972 to 1975. She further joined the Chicago Council on Fine Arts as the project director for a year, before accepting the position with the Department of Planning for the City of Chicago from 1978 to 1981. After serving as a research staff member for the Stevenson/Stern gubernatorial campaign in Illinois, Ms. Hamill became an independent consultant in Chicago for four years. Consequently, she served as the city planner for the Department of Aviation in Chicago for a year, before taking on the role of the director of the Noise Abatement Office for said department until her departure in 1995. From 1995 to 2001, she contributed as the program director and first deputy of the Communications Office for O’Hare International Airport. Moreover, Ms. Hamill briefly worked as the director of planning for the Department of Planning and Development of Cook County, before accepting her current position with the John Marshall School of Law.
In a career filled with highlights, Ms. Hamill is most grateful to have secured academic degrees and remained an anomaly in the field of municipal administration. An active member of her community, she previous served as a member of the board of directors for the Rogers Park Community Council from 1990 to 1993. Additionally, she served as a chairperson of the Illinois Women’s Political Caucus and was active in Women in Government Relations, as well as the Illinois Democratic Women organization. Since 2016, Ms. Hamill has participated on the Zoning Board of Appeals for Cook County and is proud to be the first woman to do so. In this capacity, she is responsible for aiding the public in the consideration of rezoning appeals pertaining to the use of land in the unincorporated areas of Cook County. Likewise, she contributes to the Union League for the Boys and Girls Club, as well as the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs Alumni Board.
For her accomplishments in the field, Ms. Hamill has been the recipient of numerous accolades in the field. Between 1981 and 1982, she was honored as a Harvard University scholar. In 1993, she was presented a Community Service Award from the Parish and Neighborhood Federation. Likewise, Ms. Hamill received the Christifidelis Award from the Archdiocese of Chicago and was nominated for the Regina Caeli Award by the Regina Dominican High School community. A celebrated Marquis listee, she has been featured in editions of Who’s Who in the Midwest and Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders in America. Outside of her professional endeavors, she enjoys music, bicycling, swimming, gardening and flying in her spare time. In the past, she sang with the Grant Park Symphony Chorus and currently maintains a membership with the Chicago Bar Association’s Chorus. Ms. Hamill is happily married to her husband, Thomas Jaconetty, and the two share a daughter, Nicole.