Grace B. Hou has been Deputy Governor for Health and Human Services for Governor JB Pritzker since October 10, 2023. As the Deputy Governor, Grace oversees the work of the 12 Health and Human Services cabinet agencies and boards or commissions whose reach touches every corner of Illinois, improving the lives of millions of individuals and families across the state. Under her leadership, the Health and Human Services team tackles several critical initiatives, including the implementation of the state’s plan to erase medical debt, coordination of the public health approach to decreasing gun violence, the response to new arrivals, management of the Office of New Americans, the establishment of a Multi-Sector Plan on Aging, and the creation of a cross-agency Justice Cabinet.

Prior to her role as Deputy Governor, Grace served on Governor JB Pritzker’s Cabinet as the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) from 2019-2023.  The team at IDHS made notable achievements under her direction, including leading Illinois to attain one of the highest response rates for the 2020 Census; launching the state’s inaugural gun violence prevention office; ensuring that families and children have food on their tables and access to public health insurance; elevating people with lived experience with mental illness to share their pathways to recovery; protecting hundreds of community providers; and saving countless lives during COVID-19. She is Board Chair of the national American Public Human Services Association, board member of the Healthy Communities Foundation, a 2001 Leadership Greater Chicago fellow, a member of The Commercial Club, a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow, and a German Marshall fellow.