Before his election to the House, Welch served 12 years on the Proviso Township High School Board of Education, including as board president the final 10 years.
Though also a practicing attorney — he’s a partner at Chicago-based law firm Ancel Glink — Welch said public service has always been his calling.
“I am not a minister at a church, but you minister to people in different ways,” Welch said. “And if you do this job properly and correctly, not selfishly or have self-interest involved, it truly is a ministry. It's a calling and I believe that this is my ministry. It allows me to help people in my district.”