Michelle Casey

Michelle Casey assumed the pioneering role of Ethics, Integrity, and Compliance Officer (EICO) in January 2024. Tasked with championing ethics, integrity, and compliance across all campuses and the academic medical center, the EICO facilitates the coordination of related activities within various units and provides guidance on compliance matters. The EICO offers counsel to the president, executive officers, and Board of Regents on pertinent ethical and compliance issues, collaborating with key stakeholders to develop and oversee training programs aimed at ensuring faculty and staff are well-versed in institutional policies as well as relevant federal and state standards.

Prior to her appointment, Michelle held the position of Executive Director at the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission, where she supervised ethics and harassment prevention training for over 170,000 officers and employees across approximately 300 state entities. Her jurisdiction extended to the executive branch constitutional officers, their agencies’ personnel, as well as employees of Illinois’ public institutions of higher education, regional transportation authorities, and regional development authorities.

Before her tenure with the Ethics Commission, she served the state of Illinois in various capacities, including as an attorney within both the executive and legislative branches. Earlier in her career she worked as a tax consultant for KPMG LLP.

Michelle earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Organizational Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the George Washington University School of Law and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law.