SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. J.B. Pritzker has nominated Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia to lead the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs after former Lt. Col. Jaime E. Martinez requested that his nomination be withdrawn.

Chapa LaVia, a veteran, said she was honored to have her name placed in consideration for the position.

"Illinois has much work to do to live up to our responsibilities to our veterans, and I am deeply committed to making Illinois the best state in the nation to be a veteran," Chapa LaVia said.

Pritzker said Chapa LaVia, who helped direct the Legislature’s hearings into the Illinois Veterans Home last year, has been "a steadfast advocate and effective change-maker."

Chapa LaVia, of Aurora, was elected to the Illinois House in 2002, becoming the first Latino to be elected to the General Assembly from outside of Cook County. She joined the House Veteran Affairs committee during her first term starting in 2003 and has been the committee’s chairman since 2009.