Commissioners

C. Richard Costes joined the Commission on Equity and Inclusion in October 2022 and has served the State of Illinois since then. He has spent the last decade fighting for accessibility for disabled communities in the nonprofit sector.

A devoted advocate for marginalized groups, Richard joined CEI after working for two years at Communication Service for the Deaf, a constellation of companies that provide products, programs, and services designed to create opportunities for deaf people to succeed.  Before that, he worked for six years at the Association for Corporate Growth, the premier global community for middle-market M&A dealmakers and business leaders focused on driving growth.  He has also spent nearly a decade as an accessibility consultant for various arts organizations nationwide, speaking on panels and providing organizational feedback to make their companies more inclusive to people with disabilities and people of color.

Richard graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Arts. He currently serves on the board of the National Theatre of the Deaf and is a member of Disability LEAD and the 3Arts Artist Council.

Benjamin Salentine is honored to be appointed by Governor Pritzker to serve on the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion. Most recently, Salentine served as Associate Director of Health Sciences at UI Health. He was selected to serve on the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of People with Disabilities, Anti-Racism and Equity Committee, Culture and Heritage Month Committee, BEST Community Advisory Committee, Equity and Screening Tool Workgroup and Social Determinants of Health Collaborative.

Salentine has worked diligently toward increasing social justice, while contributing to further education and awareness through several mediums. He participated in a radio interview on National Public Radio – WBEZ Chicago Reset, reflecting upon the legacy of the ADA. Salentine has contributed to publications regarding disability and healthcare, while also participating in several panel speaking engagements. He was also featured in 2023 Crain’s Notable Leaders in Health Care.

Salentine earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Silver Lake College, as well as a Master of Science Degree in Community Health from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and a Master of Science Degree in Rehabilitation from UIUC. He also recently earned a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Disability Studies from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). 

Ovelia Smith-Barton came to the Commission on Equity and Inclusion as a Commissioner in November 2023 and was confirmed by the Senate in November 2024. 

Prior to her service with CEI, she dedicated 25 years serving as a Master Trainer with the State of Illinois where she worked for the Illinois Departments of Human Services and Human Rights.  She received training certifications from the National Curriculum & Training Institute, Real Colors, BCON LIFO International, Prairie Crossing Institute, American Heart Association and American Lung Association.

Prior to her employment with the State, Ovelia was employed by Transactive Corporation as the Client Program Manager and Retail Training Coordinator.  Within these roles she collaborated with the Illinois Department of Human Services in the successful implementation of the Illinois Link Program. Ovelia has served on the Board of Directors with the Springfield Urban League and Sojourn Shelter and Services.  She was also a statewide team member with Illinois Imagines (ICASA), working to improve services for women with disabilities who had been victims of sexual violence.

Ovelia is a graduate of the University of Illinois Springfield with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Services Administration.

Appointed by Governor JB Pritzker to serve as a Commissioner for the Commission on Equity and Inclusion (CEI), Van Austin is truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to continue serving Illinoisans by working with small and diverse businesses to help them grow and thrive by ensuring equitable treatment and inclusive access to State of Illinois contracting opportunities. 

Austin has over 19 years of procurement and project management experience, including 16 years of operations management involvement, in the private and public sector.  Prior to joining CEI, he was the Agency Procurement Officer (APO) for the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT), where he supervised the agency’s procurement operations.  He managed and increased the team to include 30-plus procurement professionals who support IT operations for 36 client agencies and end users statewide, equating to over one billion dollars in direct spend.  DoIT’s Joint Purchase Master Contracts are routinely utilized by hundreds of governmental entities and not-for-profits, including the Legislative branch, universities, municipalities, and counties responsible for hundreds of millions in additional indirect State spending.  While there, he was appointed by Governor, JB Pritzker, to represent DoIT on the bipartisan State Procurement Taskforce.   

Before arriving at DoIT, Van Austin served as the APO for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) for nearly 5 years.  He led DCFS’ COVID-19 crisis-response for procurement and distribution operations throughout the pandemic, supporting 8,000 state and contracted staff across 330-plus offices who assist more than 18,000 youth in care.  Notably, Austin also worked with the Fair Practices in Contracting Task Force and the African American Fair Contracting Commission, led DCFS’ solicitation team that awarded over 230 million through four contracts to create a federally compliant solution to modernize the State’s comprehensive child welfare information system (CCWIS), and was honored with a “procurement innovation” award from then-DoIT Secretary, Ron Guerrier. 

Previously, Van Austin served on the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission as a Policy Advisor and Procurement Compliance Monitor for the Chief Procurement Officer for the Capital Development Board (CPO-CDB).  As a Policy Advisor, he worked extensively on administrative rules, procurement related legislative and policy issues for the CPO-CDB. 

Prior to joining the State, Austin spent 9 years in the mining industry in various procurement roles for a General Dynamics subsidiary before departing as an Asset Manager.  During his time in the mining industry, he was responsible for onsite strategic sourcing and the procurement of mining commodities, heavy equipment parts, consumables, and industrial services. 

Van Austin is a frequent speaker at government procurement forums and served as the Chair of the Illinois Association of Public Procurement Officials Legislative Review Committee for three years, providing monthly updates to membership on procurement related legislation. 

Van Austin holds a B.A. degree in Economics, with a minor in Business Administration, from the University of Illinois. He resides in Springfield, Illinois with his wife, Blair Austin. He is an avid reader, a nature and adventure enthusiast, and enjoys traveling, gardening, music concerts, and watersports.