John Pavich Biographical Sketch
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, John Pavich accepted a post with the Central Intelligence Agency, specializing in counterterrorism. He felt an obligation to serve his country and to give back to the country that had given him so much.
As an intelligence officer in the CIA?s Directorate of Operations ? the agency?s clandestine service arm ? John gained a firsthand understanding of the global issues confronting our democracy and the threats to our personal freedoms.
John has always dedicated himself to public service. The second of four children of Robert and Marcia Pavich, John J. Pavich grew up in south suburban Lynwood, a part of the 11th Congressional District until 2002. He spent his summers working on the family dairy farm. He graduated from Thornton Fractional South High School and later received degrees in International studies and Russian studies from St. Norbert College in DePere Wisconsin. Following his 1998 college graduation, John embarked upon his career of public service, teaching English in Lithuania.
Following his 2002 graduation from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, John continued his public service career at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. With his expertise in international law and Balkan history, John was a crucial member of the legal team that negotiated the first plea agreement of a national leader in the Tribunal?s history. This plea is widely recognized as being the first step towards a new era of reconciliation in the Balkans.
John?s wife, Kelly, shares his devotion to public service. Kelly served in the Peace Corps after college graduation and has since worked for the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation, which provides college scholarships to inner-city students, and for the Princeton Review.
Following the birth of their first child, Andrew Michael Pavich, in November 2004, John and Kelly decided to look for new ways to serve their community and country. This led to John?s decision to seek the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 11th District of Illinois. John believes that we all share obligations to each other and to our future generations.
John currently practices law in Will County, Chicago and southern Cook County. John and Kelly live in Beecher, Illinois and are members of St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church in Lansing, Illinois.
Statement of Principals
My name is John Pavich. I am seeking the Democratic nomination for the
United States House of Representatives in the 11th Congressional District of
Illinois.
I am 28 years old. I grew up in the 11th District. I have taught and believe
deeply that each of us must live to serve others. During the past three
years I have tried to serve my country by participating directly in the war
on terror. I have been privileged to have served with, and been mentored by,
the most patriotic of Americans. Nonetheless, I now see a duty to do more ?
to offer whatever talents I may have been given to more directly serve my
community and my country.
Over the next four years decisions will be made in Washington that will
affect generations of Americans ? but none more than my own. ?We not only
pay the price now, in war, but also in the decades to come, as we must
apportion our resources to meet out priorities; education, health care,
jobs, veterans? benefits and the environment. We have obligations to
ourselves, to our parents and grandparents, and to our children. Our lives
are, for better or worse, centered around our families; our civic priorities
arise from the need to nurture and support family life.
I am a Democrat because I believe that we fulfill ourselves by serving
others, that we must bear one another?s burdens. This has, traditionally,
been the vision and identity of the Democratic Party. Our democracy has been
enriched by vigorous dialogue between the people and their government. We
owe our leaders a healthy skepticism and, if necessary, loyal opposition.
This is our duty to them and to ourselves. ?We must act, not out of fear,
but from the strength that comes from having faith in each other.
If I am chosen to serve in Congress I pledge to dedicate myself to these
principals, to my community and to my country
UPDATED: New bio replaces the old one 5/19/05