Director Erica Borggren
Committed to Serving Country and Community
Director Erica Borggren was appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs by Governor Pat Quinn on August 5, 2011.
An Illinois native and Army Veteran, Borggren previously served as a senior staff member for Army Gen. David H. Petraeus during his time as Commanding General of multi-national forces in Iraq and as head of United States Central Command throughout the Middle East. For her service in these missions, Borggren was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Bronze Star as well as the Joint Service Achievement and Iraq Campaign Medals.
Prior to her time in the Middle East, Borggren served in the United States Army Medical Service Corps in Yongsan, South Korea, rising as an officer in the 18th Medical Command to a Company Commander at the 121 Combat Support Hospital, for which she was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
Following her graduation as valedictorian from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, she was designated as a Rhodes Scholar and the recipient of a Truman Scholarship. She later earned a master's degree in comparative social policy from Oxford University.
Borggren returned home to Illinois in 2009 and currently resides with her husband Erik, a West Point graduate, and their son Ethan in Chicago.