About Us

About the Office

As the largest Secretary of State's office in the nation, the Illinois Secretary of State processes more transactions and is visited by more residents than any other. 

From issuing driver’s licenses and registering vehicles to maintaining the organ donor registry, incorporating business entities, and administering the state's literacy efforts, our office directly touches the lives of nearly everyone in Illinois. 

We are dedicated to transforming the office to best serve Illinoisans by redefining public service, streamlining operations, improving customer service, and reducing wait times at DMVs.

About the Secretary 

Alexi Giannoulias (Democrat) was sworn in as Illinois’ 38th Secretary of State in 2023.

Overseeing the largest Secretary of State’s office in the nation with more than 4,000 employees and 25 departments, Giannoulias is committed to improving road safety, modernizing office operations, and making programs and services more accessible for Illinois residents. 

In his first official act, Giannoulias signed a sweeping Executive Ethics Order aimed at increasing transparency, enhancing protections for victims of sexual harassment or threats of violence, and simplifying the public’s ability to report improprieties to the Inspector General’s office. 

Giannoulias launched an ongoing effort to transform and modernize the office’s outdated and aging technology, making it more secure and efficient and enabling Illinoisans to obtain more services online, replacing the need to visit a DMV. Customer experience has been improved by eliminating the “Time Tax,” or the amount of time that Illinoisans spend waiting in lines or filling out forms to obtain simple, but essential, government services.

He implemented his “Skip-the-Line” program, allowing Illinoisans to make appointments at the state’s busiest DMV facilities, which has reduced wait times, and cross-trained employees to increase efficiencies. To accommodate more on-demand requests for services, the office has deployed more mobile units, created “pop-up” DMVs and established multiple Senior Centers at no cost to the office, specifically designed to assist senior drivers.

Pursuing an ambitious legislative agenda, Giannoulias has spearheaded initiatives to combat distracted driving, safeguard women’s healthcare access, protect drivers from discriminatory traffic stops, and provide funding resources to law enforcement to prevent car thefts.

As State Librarian, Giannoulias is dedicated to protecting and enhancing public libraries to make learning resources more available. In his first year in office, he championed first-in-the-nation Right-to-Read legislation and increased library grant opportunities.

In 2006, Giannoulias was elected Illinois State Treasurer, becoming the youngest State Treasurer in the nation at age 30. Giannoulias pursued a reform agenda that focused on innovative initiatives and policies to curb ethical abuses, create jobs, safely invest taxpayer dollars, and improve the financial futures of residents. 

Giannoulias ended pay-to-play politics in the Treasurer’s office by prohibiting contributions from contractors, banks, and office employees. He also helped Illinois-based suit maker Hartmarx avoid liquidation, saving 1,000 jobs by threatening to pull state funds from the factory’s bank after it received TARP funds, arguing that it had a responsibility to invest in American workers.

Unlike other states, Illinois weathered the 2008 financial market meltdown due to the Treasurer’s investment strategy and legislation that saved the state $16 billion by paying down its pension obligation. He also helped pass a bill that banned the unscrupulous practices and hidden fees of debt settlement companies.

After leaving the Treasurer’s office in 2011, Giannoulias was appointed to serve as chairman of the Illinois Community College System, overseeing the state’s 48 community colleges. He also served as senior director at BNY Mellon Wealth Management and taught at Northwestern University as an adjunct professor. 

Giannoulias served on the Board of Directors of CARA, One Million Degrees, the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, and the Chicago Public Library. He also was the CEO and founder of Annoula Ventures, which has invested in real estate and start-ups, including many Illinois-based companies.

Giannoulias earned an economics degree from Boston University and a law degree from Tulane University’s School of Law before playing professional basketball in Greece for Panionios for two years. He lives in Chicago with his wife and four daughters.