Dave Bender

Dave leads the political and PAC program for ACEC. He joined ACEC in June 2019 after serving 7 years as the President & CEO of ACEC Illinois. Also in 2019, he chaired a Business/Labor organization while at ACEC/IL that successfully passed the first motor-fuel tax increase in 29 years. He has over 35 years of political and governmental experience managing, serving as chair and advising local, state and national political campaigns. Raised on a family farm in central Illinois, Dave later was named the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture in Illinois for 4 years. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.A. in Legal Studies.

Fun Fact

After graduating from college in 1985, Dave served as a Probation Officer for two years. He also was “Best Man” in over 100 weddings when couples came to the local courthouse to be married by the judge and did not realize they needed to provide an official witness for the marriage ceremony.