Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama recently announced that openly gay Justin DeJong has been named his new director of communications for Illinois.

DeJong is a former Windy City Media Group 30 Under 30 honoree for his contributions to the local LGBT community.

He will take a leave of absence from his current position as the director of communications for the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. Prior to that position, DeJong worked as a spokesperson for Gov. Rod Blagojevich.