Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has nominated Ramon Cepeda and Jill Smart for openings on the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees.
Name: Ramon Cepeda
Position: Board of Trustees - University of Illinois
Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Ramon Cepeda to the Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois. Cepeda is a graduate of UIC and is currently a senior vice president at Northern Trust.
Cepeda has worked at Northern Trust since 2007. Currently, he oversees the commercial real estate group, which he created in 2010. He also works as the managing director of the wealth management division.
Prior to his work at Northern Trust, Cepeda worked for LaSalle Bank (now Bank of America) as the first vice president in the commercial real estate group. He was responsible for construction and acquisition loans throughout the Midwest. Cepeda also worked for Second Federal Savings and Loan and Source One Mortgage.
Cepeda graduated from the University of Illinois in 1990 with a degree in criminal justice. He was also selected as a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow in 2011.
Name: Jill Smart
Position: Board of Trustees - University of Illinois
Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Jill Smart to serve on the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees. She is a graduate of U of I and worked as an adjunct professor, and she was a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Smart also has nearly 35 years of experience in human resources.
Smart worked for Accenture for most of her professional career. She retired from the company in 2014 as Chief Human Resources Officer. She was responsible for the full employee lifecycle at the global company. She was also a member of Accenture's Global Management Committee.
Currently, Smart is the president of the National Academy of Human Resources (NAHR), a non-profit organization that recognizes individuals and institutions for their work in human resources.
Smart holds an M.B.A from the University of Chicago. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Governor Rauner announced today he has made appointments to the Board of Trustees at Southern Illinois University, Eastern Illinois University and Chicago State University.
Name: John Gilbert
Position: Board of Trustees - Southern Illinois University
Governor Bruce Rauner has selected John Gilbert, 65, of Carbondale to the Board of Trustees at Southern Illinois University. Gilbert is a life-long public servant and is currently a United States District Court Judge (senior status).
Gilbert was appointed to the federal bench in 1992, and currently presides over criminal and civil cases. Prior to that, he was a First Judicial Circuit Court Judge for nearly five years.
Gilbert has also served the people of Illinois as a member of the State Board of Elections, where he set policy matters for the board and presided over election challenges.
Gilbert holds a law degree from Loyola University Chicago. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois.
Name: Joel Sambursky
Position: Board of Trustees - Southern Illinois University
Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Joel Sambursky, 32, of Carbondale to serve on the Board of Trustees at Southern Illinois University. Sambursky is a graduate of SIU and is the president of Liberty Wealth Management, LLC.
Sambursky has worked at Liberty Wealth Management since 2012. Currently, he manages the day-to-day affairs of the firm including financial and investment planning, marketing and client recruitment. He also advises clients on retirement and college savings plans.
Prior to his work at Liberty Wealth Management, Sambursky worked for Forbes Financial Group in Carbondale as a financial adviser. He advised clients and helped determine if they had adequate retirement assets and insurance policies. Sambursky also worked for the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce.
Sambursky graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2005 with a degree in science finance and earned an MBA in 2007. He was also recognized for his athletic accomplishments during his four years on the SIU football team.
Name: Amy Sholar
Position: Board of Trustees - Southern Illinois University
Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Amy Sholar, 43, of Alton to serve on the Board of Trustees at Southern Illinois University. Sholar is a graduate of SIU - Edwardsville and currently owns her own law firm.
Sholar has owned the Law Office of Amy Sholar, P.C. since 2004. Prior to owning her own law firm, Sholar worked for the City of Alton as a planning coordinator. She was responsible for community redevelopment, real estate acquisitions and zoning matters.
Sholar was also a recipient of the 2012 Women of Distinction award.
Sholar graduated from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville in 1998 with a degree in business administration and holds a law degree from St. Louis University.
Name: Timothy Burke
Position: Board of Trustees - Eastern Illinois University
Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Timothy Burke, 65, of Evanston to become a member of the Eastern Illinois University's Board of Trustees. Burke is a graduate of EIU and is currently a member of the EIU Foundation Board of Trustees.
Burke is currently a project risk manager at William Blair & Company. In this role, he works on financial risk management and internal control matters. For ten years until 2012, he was the company's CFO.
Prior to his work at William Blair & Company, Burke worked at Arthur Andersen & Company for more than 20 years. He became partner in 1987 in the audit practice of the financial services group. He also managed a World Bank project in Indonesia focused on reforming securities industry regulations.
Burke received his bachelor's degree in math and master's degree in counseling from EIU. While earning his MS, he also served the EIU community as a residence hall counselor.
Name: Rev. Dr. Marshall Hatch
Position: Board of Trustees - Chicago State University
Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Rev. Dr. Marshall Hatch to join the Chicago State University Board of Trustees. Hatch has spent years in the community and in public service to help others.
Since 1993, Hatch has been the pastor of the New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church on Chicago's west side. Prior to that, he served as the pastor of Commonwealth Baptist Church.
Throughout his work in the ministry, Hatch has created and developed a number of outreach programs. He is responsible for an interfaith affordable housing development project, which built more than 200 homes for Chicago families. He also established an annual mission trip for inner-city youth.
Hatch earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Western Illinois University. He holds a master's degree in government from Georgetown University. Hatch also earned a doctorate and masters degree in ministry and theological studies from McCormick Theological Seminary. He was also one of four Merrill Fellows at the Harvard Divinity School in 1998.
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