Christine Benavente joined the OEIG as an Assistant Inspector General in August 2011 and later served as a Legislative Assistant Inspector General. As Deputy Inspector General–Executive Projects, Ms. Benavente leads numerous executive projects, including overseeing the Division of External Compliance & Outreach, serving as the legislative attorney for all legislative matters pertaining to the OEIG, and serving as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility Coordinator. Prior to working at the OEIG, she was an Associate at Jenner & Block, LLP. Ms. Benavente obtained her law degree from DePaul University College of Law, where she graduated Order of the Coif and magna cum laude. During law school, she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Women’s Law Caucus Digest and Moot Court Representative for the Hispanic National Bar Association. She obtained BAs from the University of Iowa.

Brian became Inspector General at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Office of Inspector General in April 2021, after having served for six years as the First Deputy Inspector General and General Counsel for the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General. Prior to that, Brian was General Counsel for the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and an Associate General Counsel for the Office of the Governor of Illinois. Before joining public service, Brian worked as a litigation associate for Mayer Brown LLP and clerked for the Honorable James Moran in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Justin Gutierrez joined the Office of Inspector General in 2019 and currently serves as a Performance Analyst for Audit & Program Review. Gutierrez previously worked for Chicago Public Schools as a Community Integration Specialist. In this role, he supported high school age students with disabilities through instruction and connection to the resources necessary for independent living. Gutierrez earned a BA in Sociology from North Central College in Naperville, IL, and an MA in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Susan Haling was nominated as Executive Inspector General in March 2018, and confirmed by the Illinois Senate in May 2019. She first joined the Office of Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor in December 2011 as Special Counsel, and served as the First Assistant Inspector General beginning in 2015. In addition, she has more than nine years of experience as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago, where she tried over 20 criminal trials. EIG Haling also previously worked for the U.S. Justice Department, Criminal Division, in Washington, D.C. EIG Haling was a law clerk for the Honorable James F. Holderman, a former U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. EIG Haling received her BA from the University of Notre Dame and obtained her law degree from the DePaul University College of Law, where she graduated Order of the Coif, served as editor for the Law Review, and was a member of the Moot Court Trial Team.

Theodor J. (TJ) Hengesbach has served as the Inspector General for the Illinois Toll Highway Authority since 2015. In 2020 he was appointed and subsequently confirmed for a second term through July 2025. TJ has been a licensed attorney since 1991 and following state and federal clerkships and a stint at the Chicago Department of Law, he has been involved in the inspector general world since 2003. He helped establish the Office of Executive inspector General for the Agencies of the Governor as General Counsel, and then served as a Deputy Inspector General for the Chicago Inspector General’s Office for nearly 10 years prior to his current appointment. TJ has a BA from the University of Notre Dame and a JD from Indiana University – Maurer School of Law.

Nathan Kipp joined OIG in February 2022 after having served nearly half of a decade in offices of inspectors general for City of Chicago sister agencies: first, as an Assistant Inspector General for the Chicago Board of Education, and then as both the Deputy Inspector General and Interim Inspector General for the Chicago Park District. A seasoned litigator, Nathan previously practiced law as a member of the global litigation groups within Mayer Brown LLP and Winston & Strawn LLP, where he handled complex and class-action lawsuits that stemmed from the 2008 financial crisis and conducted internal investigations upon the requests of Fortune 500 Companies’ and financial institutions’ Boards of Directors. Before entering private practice, he served as a Staff Attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit before transitioning to the role of a judicial clerk for the Honorable Michael S. Kanne.

Peter Neumer has served as the Inspector General for the Illinois Department of Human Services since 2019. Previously, Peter worked at the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General, clerked in the Northern District of Illinois, and was an investigations and litigation associate at Perkins Coie.

Kathleen O’Donovan joined the Office of Inspector General in 2019 as a Performance Analyst and currently serves as a Chief Performance Analyst for Audit & Program Review. Previously, she worked for the National Immigrant Justice Center, where she provided legal services to detained immigrants and published reports which led to improved detention conditions for individuals. She is a Certified Inspector General Auditor. O’Donovan earned a BA in Anthropology, Sociology, and Spanish from Kalamazoo College and an MA in Public Policy and Public Administration from Northwestern University.

Tiffany Pryor-Wallace has worked in State government for almost 20 years. Currently, she is a supervising investigator with the Office of Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor (OEIG). Tiffany is a Springfield native and graduate of Illinois State University (ISU) where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. She went on to complete her master’s degree in Legal Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS). While attending UIS, she was accepted into the Graduate Public Service Internship program to serve as a legal investigator I at the Environmental Protection Agency. Tiffany joined the OEIG in 2007 as a paralegal and has been promoted twice within the organization, holding titles of investigator and her present title of supervising investigator. In her investigatory roles, she has worked and overseen many cases of varying scope and complexity, including prior cases as a member of the agency’s former Grant Review Initiative Team. Tiffany has a passion for professional development and training opportunities and appreciates sharing the knowledge and skills she has obtained throughout her educational and professional career with others. In addition to her supervisory role, Tiffany has assumed leadership roles with the agency’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) projects. She has worked on presentations involving internal and external training, mentoring initiatives, and has served as an internship coordinator and DEIA chair for the Office. Outside of her professional capacity, Tiffany spends her time assisting at her daughter’s dance studio and participates in opportunities at ISU to connect with students entering the criminal justice field.

Kathryn Richards was appointed as Inspector General for the Chicago Housing Authority by the CHA Board of Commissioners in April 2021. Richards is a Certified Inspector General through the Association of Inspectors General and a licensed attorney. Prior to CHA, Richards spent 10 years as the Chief Assistant Inspector General for the City of Chicago OIG. In that role, she provided strategic guidance and legal counsel on all OIG activities, including investigations, audits, and reviews. Richards also serves as Board President of the Illinois Chapter of the Association of Inspectors General, which provides training in professional best practices for all Illinois IG agencies. She previously served as a staff attorney with the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Richards holds a B.A. in Political Science from New York University and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, where she graduated summa cum laude with a certificate in public interest law.

Diane Saltoun was appointed as the first Executive Inspector General for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General in September 2004. Prior to her appointment, she spent 12 years as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois. Before leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she served as a Deputy Chief in the General Crimes Division and the Co-Coordinator of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal, state, and local initiative to reduce gun violence. Diane has extensive experience investigating and prosecuting cases involving public corruption, white collar crime, environmental violations, drugs, and violence, as well conducting administrative investigations. Diane was a member of the faculty at the University of Chicago Law School from 2003 to 2005. Diane has also been on the adjunct faculty at Northwestern University Law School, John Marshall Law School, and Loyola University Law School. She serves on the Seventh Circuit Criminal Jury Instruction Committee and several nonprofit boards in the city of Chicago.

Kevin Smith joined the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General in 2015 as a Performance Analyst and currently serves as a Chief Performance Analyst for Audit & Program Review. Smith previously served as the Management Fellow for the City Manager’s Office in Sterling, Illinois. In this role, he led Sterling’s strategic planning process and collaborated with local stakeholders on City priorities. He is a Certified Inspector General Auditor. Smith earned a BGS in Public Administration and an MPA in City Management from the University of Kansas.

Charles Wright serves as Deputy Inspector General for the Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General, where he oversees investigations into abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation at state facilities and agencies that serve individuals with developmental and mental disabilities. Charles formerly served as an Assistant Inspector General with the City of Chicago’s Office of Inspector General and as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey, where he prosecuted white-collar crime and official misconduct by public employees. Charles received his J.D. from Boston College and bachelor's degree from Princeton University. Charles lives in Chicago with his wife, Marlise, and his two-year-old daughter, Camille.