15 ILCS 410/6

The Department of Human Resources shall have an officer at its head who shall be known as the Director. He or she shall be appointed by the Comptroller. The Director shall be a person who shall have had practical working experience in the field of personnel administration. The director shall be selected for appointment from among those persons who for the two years next preceding the appointment have not been members of any local, state or national committee of a political party; or officers or members of any standing committee of a political party; or officers or members of standing committees of any partisan political group or organization. Nor shall the appointee during his or her tenure as Director become a member of any local, state or national committee of a political party or an officer or member of standing committees or any partisan political group or organization.