James N. Pritzker is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Tawani Enterprises, Inc. He is also President and Chairman of the Board of the Tawani Foundation which is comprised of the Tawani Charitable Foundation, Inc., the Pritzker Military Library, and the COL (IL) James N. Pritzker Charitable Distribution Fund. Mr. Pritzker also serves as a strategic consultant for Alliance Financial, LLC and is involved in a number of other partnerships.
Retired in March, 2001 as a Lieutenant Colonel, Mr. Pritzker’s military career began with his enlistment in the US Army in 1974 and subsequent assignment to 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry (Air), 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Following his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1979, Mr. Pritzker served on active duty in the Army with the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division and VII Corps until his release from active duty in 1985. Since that time he has had various assignments with the Army Individual Ready Reserve and the Illinois Army National Guard such as Commander C Company 1st Battalion 131st Infantry, 38th Infantry Detachment (ROC), 38th Infantry Division (Mechanized) in Chicago, Illinois and most recently as Historian for the Illinois National Guard at the State Area Command (STARC) in Springfield, Illinois. He has also qualified as a Chemical Corps Officer, Logistician, and Tactical Intelligence Officer. Awards that he has earned throughout his service include the Meritorious Service Medal, parachute badges from not only the U.S. Army, but from Israel, Russia, Canada, Holland, Britain, and Poland. Upon retirement from the Illinois Army National Guard, Mr. Pritzker was promoted to the honorary rank of Colonel.
In addition to his business and military activities, Mr. Pritzker is extensively involved in philanthropic work, serving as a member of the Board of Trustees of Norwich University, the Planetary Studies Foundation, Illinois National Guard and Militia Historical Society, the US Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, the USO of Illinois and the National Strategy Forum. He has also made two scientific expeditions to Antarctica and the South Pole with the Planetary Studies Foundation.
James Pritzker earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Loyola University of Chicago in 1979. He has three children: Tal, 21, Andrew, 12, and William, 9.
