Pride Recognition Awards

Each year, State’s Attorney Foxx presents the Pride Recognition Awards in observance of Pride Month. The Pride Recognition Awards honor the accomplishments of outstanding LGBT community groups and leaders, attorneys, and judges. 

Candidates for the Pride Recognition Awards must be Cook County residents and are considered using the following criteria:

  • Leadership, honor, and integrity
  • Community involvement and activism
  • Volunteer/ Pro-Bono work
  • Youth involvement and/or mentorship programs
To nominate a Cook County community member for consideration, please send the following information in a single email to tasha.williams@cookcountyil.gov. The subject line of your email should be "Pride Recognition Awards Nominee.” Nomination materials should include:
  1. The Nomination Form (download; PDF)
  2. The nominee’s professional biography 
  3. A nomination letter detailing why the nominee is deserving of the Pride Recognition Award

Past Pride Recognition Award Recipients 

2019

Honorable Judith C. Rice, Domestic Relations Division, Circuit Court of Cook County

Kevin B. Morrison, Cook County Commissioner, 15th District

 

2018

Honorable Mary Colleen Roberts, Domestic Relations Division

Circuit Court of Cook County, The Night Ministry, Paul W. Hamann

President  & CEO

 

2017

Judge Colleen F. Sheehan, Juvenile Justice Division,

Circuit Court of Cook County, Kelly Cassidy,

Illinois State Representative, 14th District

 

2016

Christina Kahrl, Trans Activist,

ESPN Editor,

Jeremy H. Gottschalk, Vice President,

Corporate Strategy & General Counsel, Sittercity Incorporated

 

2015

Judge Michael B. McHale, Criminal Courts Division,

Circuit Court of Cook County

Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, Anthony Papini, 

Executive Director

 

2014

Officer Jose Rios, LGBT Liaison,

Chicago Police Department

Dalila Fridi, Senior Analyst,

Northwestern Memorial Hospital

 

2013

Honorable Sebastian Patti, Circuit Court of Cook

County, Presiding Judge, Domestic Violence Division

Camilla Taylor, National Marriage Project Director, Senior Staff Attorney, Lambda Legal

 

2012

Greg Harris, Illinois State Representative, 13th District

Mona Noriega, Commissioner of Human Relations Department

 

2011

Glen Pietrandoni, RPh, AAHIVE, Walgreens Pharmacy

Arthur L. Johnston, Community Activist

 

2010

Reverend Stan Sloan, CEO, Chicago House

Judge Patricia Logue, Circuit Court of Cook County

 

PAST VERNITA GRAY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

 

2019

Tracy Baim

Windy City Times, Owner

Chicago Reader, Publisher

 

2018

Julio Rodriguez

Association of Co- Founder/Board President

Association of Latinos Motivating Action (ALMA)

 

2017

Kim L. Hunt, Co-Founder, Pride Action Tank,

AIDS Foundation of Chicago

 

2016

Ray J. Koenig, III

Clark Hill, PLC

 

2015

Café Pride

(Reverend Joy Douglas Strome, Reverend Alex Wirth,

Stuart Smith)

 

2014

Chef Art Smith

Culinary Professional and Founder of Common Threads