House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch announced Friday the hiring of a new Research and Appropriations Director, Endra C. Curry. With years of experience managing and analyzing state budgets in South Carolina, Curry was chosen following an extensive nationwide search and will assume the role effective Jan. 22.
Curry joins the Office of the Speaker following a successful career in the South Carolina Senate, where she served as the nonpartisan Director of Financial Policy since 2020, and previously as the Senior Budget Analyst for the Senate Finance Committee.
I am grateful to Speaker Welch, his office and leadership team, for welcoming me as the new Research and Appropriations Director for the Illinois House Democratic Caucus, said Curry. I consider it an honor to serve them and the people of Illinois in this role and look forward to establishing and cultivating relationships with internal and external stakeholders through observation, collaboration, and congeniality. While my time with my native state is at its end, I would be remiss in not recognizing the professional foundation provided to me by the South Carolina Senate, from which I am fortunate to build upon in this next phase of my career. I am thrilled to make the Prairie State my new home.
I’m excited to welcome Endra Curry to the Illinois House as our new budget director and I am eager to get to work alongside her this session, said Leader Jehan Gordon-Booth, the chief budget negotiator for the House. I look forward to Ms. Curry’s perspective on our budget-making process, which has already delivered wins for working families and ushered in 9 credit upgrades for our state.
Curry also has a range of non-legislative experience, which includes her work as a Federal Relations Officer and National Transportation Advisor at the South Carolina Department of Transportation. She was an adjunct faculty instructor at Virginia College and worked in the non-profit sector supporting individuals with disabilities as a Community Outreach Coordinator at the Babcock Center Foundation. Curry earned both her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Economics and her Master of Public Administration from the University of South Carolina.
As we welcome Ms. Curry, I also want to thank and congratulate our outgoing director, Mark Jarmer, said Speaker Welch. He has provided 15 dedicated years of service to the House of Representatives, and he was an integral part of my transition into the role of Speaker. I also want to thank his wife and children for sharing his talents with us and the state of Illinois. I look forward to his continued success.
Curry’s first job will be trying to bring some order to her staff, which has been agitating to join a union for months.
