Former Fayette Sheriff Named State Labor Dept. Director

Former Fayette County Sheriff Michael Kleinik has been appointed Director of the Illinois Department of Labor for Governor J.B. Pritzker.

Kleinik currently serves as executive director of the Medical Cannabis Alliance of Illinois. He served as executive director of the Chicago Laborers' District Council's Labor-Management Cooperation Committee from 2008 to 2018. He has also served as the Department of Labor's chief of staff.

Kleinik was elected to terms as Fayette County Sheriff in 1990 and 1994. He started as a Bond County sheriff's deputy and then as a Vandalia police officer.