In this year’s State of the State address to educators across Illinois, two of the state’s most influential leaders—State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders and Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra—come together to share a forward-looking vision for the future of education and student well-being. Their keynotes will explore the intersection of education and public health, highlighting how policy, systems, and school communities can work collaboratively to support academic success, mental health, and equitable outcomes for all learners across the state.
Dr. Tony Sanders was appointed by the State Board of Education after a nationwide search. His term started Feb. 23, 2023.
Prior to his arrival at ISBE, Dr. Sanders served as the superintendent of School District U-46, the second largest school district in Illinois, for nearly a decade. During his tenure at U-46, Dr. Sanders added full-day kindergarten for all students, grew the district’s dual language program, created a new alternative high school to reduce expulsions and better serve students in need of trauma-informed care, invested in a grow-your-own educator initiative, and improved the district’s financial standing, while overseeing a $660 million operating budget. He also was a fierce advocate for the implementation of Evidence-Based Funding to change Illinois’ public school funding structure and provide greater equity for students across Illinois.
Prior to becoming the U-46 superintendent in 2014, Dr. Sanders served as the district’s chief of communications and accountability and then chief of staff. He also previously served as the chief communications officer for St. Louis Public Schools and in communications and governmental relations roles within Illinois government, including at ISBE.
Dr. Sanders has held positions on numerous boards and committees, including the Large Countywide and Suburban District Consortium, Suburban Superintendents Association, Large Unit District Association Board of Directors, Illinois Association of School Administrators – COVID-19 Transition Team, Latino College Landscape Study Advisory Committee, and Vision 20/20 Committee for Equitable School Funding.
Dr. Sanders has received multiple honors, including the 2021 Illinois Association of School Administrators Superintendent of Distinction, 2021 Award of Merit from the Illinois School Public Relations Association for his Weekly Staff Newsletter, 2019 Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Award, and 2015 Hanover Park Educator of the Year.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Springfield, his Master of Business Administration from New York Institute of Technology, his Chief School Business Official Endorsement from Northern Illinois University, an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Judson University, and his Doctor of Education from Aurora University.
Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA, was appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) effective August 1, 2022, by Governor JB Pritzker who charged him with continuing to shape a stronger IDPH for the 21st Century.
Dr. Vohra is a general pediatrician with degrees in medicine, law and public policy and is a cross-disciplinary leader in state and national health policy formulation. Since becoming Illinois’ top doctor, he has led the state through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and is now focused on efforts to strengthen Illinois’ public health infrastructure and build a unified vision for health in every corner of the state.
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Vohra was the Founding Chair of the Department of Population Science and Policy, a practicing primary care pediatrician, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Public Health, Medical Humanities, and Law at the Southern Illinois University – School of Medicine (SIU-SOM) in Springfield, Illinois, where he also served the State of Illinois as the Interim Chair of the Children’s Mental Health Partnership.
A graduate of the University of Chicago, where he earned a Master of Arts in public policy, Dr. Vohra completed his medical residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago. He holds a medical doctorate from SIU-SOM; a juris doctorate from SIU School of Law graduating first in his class; and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and science in human culture with honors from Northwestern University.
Dr. Vohra previously served on the Illinois State Board of Health, the Illinois Medicaid Advisory Committee, the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund Steering Committee and national committees for American Academy of Pediatrics, Association of American Medical Colleges, American Medical Association, and on the Board of Trustees for the Illinois State Medical Society and Chicago Medical Society.
He has received numerous honors including a United States Fulbright Scholarship in 2009, an American Medical Association Foundation’s Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award in 2014 and was named an Edgar Fellow in 2016 as one of 40 emerging political and policy leaders in Illinois. In 2020, he was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar, chosen by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Clinton Presidential Center, the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, and the LBJ Foundation. He has also been named to Crain’s Chicago Business 40 under 40 list in 2022, and their Who’s Who in Chicago Business list in both 2024 and 2025.
Dr. Vohra resides in Springfield with his wife, Tasnim, and two children.
