Ernst Lamothe Jr.

Good journalism is something that Ernst is passionate about. An 18-year journalist, he currently serves as Communications Manager for Thornton Township. "I believe it is important to educate and inform people about their world," he says. Ernst graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and began working for the News-Gazette in Urbana, where he covered University of Illinois student life, business, and secondary education. He then went to New York to work at the Democrat and Chronicle, covering politics, suburban government, secondary education, and healthcare. He also developed some marketing skills through a job with Advocate Trinity Hospital, which is part of the largest health system in Illinois. His responsibilities included managing a multi-layered marking budget and facilitating marketing campaigns that included direct mail, e-mail blasts, and billboards to drive digestive health and breast cancer services as well as brand awareness of the hospital.