DC Journalist Mark Plotkin, a native of Chicago, was the featured speaker at the Illinois State Society annual meeting on May 25, 2010. Plotkin graduated from The George Washington University in 1969 where he was a history major. He taught at public schools both in Chicago and in Washington, DC from 1969 to 1971. His expert political analysis and editorial commentaries for WAMU, WTOP, and WTTG generated many awards, including the 2011 Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Writing.