Former Illinois Governor Joins Youbet.com Board

Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar has been appointed to the Youbet.com board of directors effective Wednesday.

Edgar, whose political career spanned 30 years, served two four-year terms as governor and was secretary of state during the 10 previous years. He and his family have been racing and breeding Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds since he left office in Jan. 1999.

"Jim Edgar is a perfect addition to the Youbet.com board," said David Marshall, chief executive officer of Youbet.com. "He brings not only a wealth of knowledge and experience in public policy issues, but also a passion for the horse racing industry."

Edgar is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Illinois' Institute of Government and Public Affairs, and lectures at other colleges and universities throughout Illinois. In the fall of 1999, he was a resident fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Edgar also serves as a senior adviser at KemperLesnik Public Affairs, a division of Chicago-based KemperLesnik Communications, and on a variety of corporate and not-for-profit boards of directors.