These are the highest-paid state employees in Illinois

ST. LOUIS — Taxpayer dollars help Illinois employ thousands of state workers each year.

Some of these workers, usually ones in high-profile capacities or leadership roles, make hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

The Illinois Comptroller’s Office keeps track of salaries for state employees through online databases. The richest state workers make north of $300,000.

Last year, the richest state jobs peaked near $400,000 in Illinois.

So who are the state’s highest-paid workers? And what exactly are their jobs? According to the Illinois Comptroller’s Office, the Top 10 highest-paid Illinois state workers come from a variety of state departments:

1) Rita Pavate
2023 Salary: $382,500
Agency: Illinois Department of Human Services
Role: Physician Specialist

2) Tommie King
2023 Salary: $368,400
Agency: Illinois State Police
Role: Sergeant

3) Hubert Fernandes
2023 Salary: $345,200
Agency: Illinois Department of Human Services
Role: Physician Specialist

4) Kevin Kelliher
2023 Salary: $340,100
Agency: Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Role: Sergeant

5) Tanveer Shan
2023 Salary: $338,200
Agency: Illinois Department of Human Services
Role: Physician Specialist

6) Johara Farhadieh
2023 Salary: $336,300
Agency: Illinois State Board of Investments
Role: Director

7) Steven Bowman
2023 Salary: $328,500
Agency: Illinois Department of Corrections
Role: Medical Administrator

8) Ali Minhas
2023 Salary: $327,400
Agency: Illinois Department of Human Services
Role: Physician Specialist

9) Abdul Saboor
2023 Salary: $327,200
Agency: Illinois Department of Human Services
Role: Physician Specialist

10) Jermaine McGee
2023 Salary: $325,500
Agency: Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Role: Master Trooper

Physician specialist was the most common state job to appear among the highest-paid in Illinois. Outside of those jobs within the Illinois Department of Human Services, according to the Illinois Comptroller’s Office, some of the top-paid state employees included:

• Christopher Wilkes with the Illinois Department of State Police ($323,000)
• John Gac with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services ($322,900)
• Brendan Gibson with the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice ($315,700)

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