Mayor Rory Hoskins and nine other Tribal, state and local government officials have been appointed by the Office of the United States Trade Representative to a spot on the Intergovernmental Policy Committee.
The committee provides policy advice on trade and development for the U.S. and local governments. It consists of 15 members, and Hoskins will serve a term of four years.
“I believe that my selection was based on my background in economic development and my involvement in state and local government,” he said.
Before he was elected mayor, Hoskins worked for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, where he worked with multinational corporations and with the Illinois Trade Office. He served in a U.S. Department of State-sponsored mission to Mauritania and Senegal in 2021. He also serves as a member of the Abolition Institute, where he has focused his efforts on human rights and the urgency for creating development opportunities.
Separately, he will also be part of an intergovernmental delegation that will be traveling abroad Oct. 28.
Hoskins said the appointment will not have a detrimental effect on his work in Forest Park.
“I think it will benefit the village,” he said. “For instance, a company like Ferrara Candy is global in nature. Also, the Joseph Business Center (at Living Word) has a state of Illinois -funded International Trade Center. I hope to find a way for District 91 students to learn about the Office of the United States Trade Representative or how a company rooted in Forest Park (Ferrara Candy) benefits from U.S. trade policy.”
Hoskins received his JD and master of social work degrees from Loyola University Chicago, and his bachelor of arts degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.
