CICI Staff

MARK A. BIEL, CAE, IOM

Mark A. Biel, CAE, IOM is Chief Executive Officer for the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois (CICI), a statewide trade association based in Des Plaines. Mark is located in the Springfield office which closely monitors legislative and regulatory activity, with particular emphasis on environmental, energy, tax and tort reform issues. Prior to becoming Chief Executive Officer in 1999, Biel served as Director of Government Affairs for six years.

Before joining CICI, Mark served for four years as Director of Government Affairs for the Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA). During that time, the American Society of Association Executives ranked the IMA’s lobbying program as the best in the nation.

Prior to that, Mark served as Associate Director for the Associated Employers of Illinois; as a legislative intern to both former State Senator William Peterson of Long Grove and former House Majority Leader Robert Churchill of Lake Villa and served on the staff of House Republican Lee Daniels. Mark, a native of Antioch in Lake County, Illinois, is a 1985 graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in Mass Communications and minor in Political Science.

In 2005, Biel served as President of the Illinois Society of Association Executives (ISAE). In 2008, Biel received ISAE’s “Distinguished Member” Award for service to the association field. In 2009, Biel was Chairman of the Midwest Region of U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management. Biel also has served on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Board of Trustees for the Institute for Organization Management.

LISA FREDE

Lisa Frede has been the Director of Regulatory Affairs for CICI since July 2001. Lisa is located in the Des Plaines office and represents the interests of CICI members before several regulatory bodies, including the Illinois EPA, OSHA, and the Illinois Pollution Control Board. In April 2020, Lisa was appointed to the Great Lakes Advisory Board for a two-year term and reappointed for the Board for another two years in 2022.

Prior to joining CICI, Lisa worked for Will County Environmental Health Division as an environmental health inspector. Lisa brings more than 25 years of regulatory experience to CICI.

Lisa is a graduate of Aurora University.

BRAD BABCOOK

Brad Babcook has been the Director of Legislative Affairs for CICI since October 2001. Brad is located in Springfield and represents the interests of CICI before the General Assembly and many governmental agencies.

Prior to joining CICI, Brad served as a tax policy and budget analyst for three years with the Speaker of the House Michael Madigan's office. Prior to that he was a regulatory analyst for the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) specializing in revenue rules and regulations.

Brad also serves as legislative co-chair for the Illinois Society of Association Executives (ISAE) and is also the past chairman of the Business and Industry Federation of Economic Concern (BIFEC).

Brad is a graduate of DePaul University.

LISA LEAHY

Lisa Leahy has been the Director of Operations for CICI since October 2018. Lisa is located in the Des Plaines office and handles the administrative duties for the office, all of the accounting procedures and online website updates. 

Lisa brings 10+ years of operational excellence, business process improvement and office management experience in the health care industry.

Lisa is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University.