SPRINGFIELD - Governor Bruce Rauner announced today the following appointments to the Illinois State Tollway Authority, the Illinois State Employees' Retirement System, the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Illinois State Board of Health, and the Urban Weatherization Initiative Board.
Name: Joseph Gomez
Position: Director - Illinois State Tollway Authority
Governor Bruce Rauner has named Joseph Gomez to the Illinois State Tollway Authority. Gomez' extensive experience in finance will bring an important perspective to the board.
Currently, Gomez is the Senior Vice President of Byline Bank, where he oversees business development. Prior to that, he worked for the State of Illinois in the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's Bureau of Banking. He was the Chicago Bank Managing Director. He has also worked for the United States Department of Commerce as a financial consultant, helping develop the department's globalization program in China, Latin America and Canada. Gomez has also served on the Illinois Development Finance Authority under Governors Thompson and Edgar.
Gomez earned his bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University. He lives in Northfield.
Name: Craig Johnson
Position: Director - Illinois State Tollway Authority
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Craig Johnson to the Illinois State Tollway Authority. Johnson is the Mayor of Elk Grove Village and has extensive experience in multimodal transportation as his role as a city administrator.
Johnson has served the citizens of Elk Grove Village since 1993. He was first elected as a village trustee and became mayor in 1997. He is currently an active member of the Mayor's Tollway Advisory Council and the Governor's Advisory Council on the Elgin-O'Hare Tollway.
Johnson is also the CEO of the Johnson Insurance Agency, which handles all forms of insurance policies. He earned his bachelor's degree from Northeastern Illinois University. He resides in Elk Grove Village.
Name: Nick Sauer
Position: Director - Illinois State Tollway Authority
Governor Bruce Rauner has named Nick Sauer to the Illinois State Tollway Authority. Sauer is a member of the Lake County Board and the Lake County Forest Preserve District.
Sauer represents the 17th district on the Lake County Board. He is the Vice Chair of the Public Works and Transportation Committee, and is a member of the Rules Committee; the Planning, Building, and Zoning Committee; and the Finance and Administrative Committee. Sauer also serves the 17th district on the Lake County Forest Preserve District, where he is a member of the Education, Cultural Resources, and Public Affairs Committee; the Planning and Restoration Committee; and the Ethics Committee. Sauer also served on the Barrington Community Unit School District 220 Board of Education from 2009-2012.
Currently, Sauer is a partner and sales representative at Scarsdale Marketing/Sauer Kitchen Solutions. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Denver and is expected to complete his master's degree in public policy and administration from Northwestern University this year. Sauer lives in Lake Barrington.
Name: Bob Schillerstrom
Position: Director - Illinois State Tollway Authority
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Bob Schillerstrom to the Illinois State Tollway Authority. His experience as the DuPage County Board Chairman will bring a unique perspective to the board.
Schillerstrom served three terms with the DuPage County Board. He had a reputation for doing more with less taxpayer money while lowering property taxes. He also held a number of leadership positions within the county and community.
Currently, Schillerstrom is a partner in Ice Miller's Public Affairs Group, where he advises clients on issues related to local and state government. He also represents governments in their relationships with other governments with their public finance needs and requirements.
Schillerstrom also served in the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office and has more than 20 years of experience as an attorney. Schillerstrom earned his bachelor's degree at Illinois College and his law degree at Chicago-Kent College of Law. He lives in Naperville.
Name: Yasmin T. Bates-Brown
Position: Trustee - Illinois State Employees' Retirement System
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Yasmin Bates-Brown to the Illinois State Employees' Retirement System. She brings extensive experience in the financial industry to the position.
For 34 years, Bates-Brown worked for BMO Harris Bank where she held a number of leadership roles, including the Executive Vice President of Community Affairs and Economic Development. In that position she oversaw community investments, government relations, Hispanic banking and community affairs in the United States. Bates-Brown is responsible for expanding the network of BMO Harris Banks in Chicago, and she also created the Harris Neighborhood Lending Program. That program helped families, small businesses and special purpose projects receive rehabilitation funding in underserved areas.
Currently, Bates-Brown serves on the Board of Directors for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. She is also a commissioner on the Chicago Department of Human Relations.
Bates-Brown graduated from the University of Illinois, and completed the Advanced Leadership Program at Northwestern University and the Advanced Executive Program at the University of Western Ontario in Ontario, Canada. She lives in Chicago.
Name: John M. Aguilar
Position: Board Member - Illinois State Employees' Retirement System
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed John M. Aguilar to serve on the Illinois State Employees' Retirement System. His experience in human relations makes him well suited for the position.
Aguilar currently serves as Senior HR Manager at Arrow Plastic Manufacturing. His primary job is to assist with employee relations and union relations throughout the company. He is also an adjunct professor at Benedictine University, where he has taught human relations, operations management and business ethics classes for the past 13 years.
Aguilar has a rich history of giving back to his community. He served as an Aurora Township Trustee from 2003-2005 and was a part-time HR manager for the township from 2009-2010. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and an Aurora Boy Scout Troop Leader. He has previously served in state government as a member of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission from 2005 to 2010.
Aguilar received a bachelor's degree in business and marketing from Columbia College and an MBA from Aurora University. He lives in Aurora.
Name: Rosemarie Andolino
Position: Board Member - Illinois Sports Facilities Authority
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Rosemarie Andolino to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. Andolino spent 24 years working for the City of Chicago, giving her an extensive understanding of how city operations work.
Currently, Andolino serves as CEO and President of the newly created North American business division of Manchester Airport Group (M.A.G.). She oversees the development of M.A.G.'s North American business, working with airports to develop and operate terminal and retail solutions, passenger lounges, and car parking facilities.
Andolino's most recent position in the public sector was as a commissioner with the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), where she helped manage one of the world's busiest airport systems. In addition, she oversaw the $8 billion O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP). Prior to her work with the CDA, she also held a number of positions within the City of Chicago including the Executive Director of the OMP and First Deputy Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
Andolino earned a bachelor's degree from DePaul University. She lives in Chicago.
Name: Jeffrey Yardon
Position: Board Member - Illinois Sports Facilities Authority
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Jeffrey Yardon to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. Yardon brings 45 years of senior management experience to the position and was a college athlete.
Recently, Yardon was CEO and Chairman of Sagent Pharmaceuticals for nine years. He founded the company in 2006, which developed and made injectable pharmaceuticals. Prior to that, he worked as the founder, president and COO of American Pharmaceutical Partners.
Yardon earned his bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University (NIU). He attended NIU on a football and track scholarship. He currently serves as the chair of the Athletic Advisory panel at NIU. He lives in Schaumburg.
Name: Alice Marie Jacobs
Position: Board Member - Illinois Board of Higher Education
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Alice Marie Jacobs to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Jacobs' experience as an administrator in higher education makes her well suited for the board.
Jacobs has 45 years of experience in higher education and is currently the president of the Danville Area Community College (DACC). She oversees 60 full-time faculty, 100 part-time faculty and more than 120 other staff members, who serve approximately 9,000 students annually. In this position, Jacobs added academic programs and doubled enrollment while state funding was reduced for community colleges.
Prior to her work at DACC, she was the president of Kaskaskia College in Centralia for five years. She also served students at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, NC as the Vice President of Instruction and Student Development. She also worked at Rochester Community College in Rochester, Minn. and at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Mich.
Jacobs holds a Ph.D. in college and university administration from Michigan State University and a master's degree in business education from Western Michigan University. She also earned her bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University, and an associate's degree in business from Louisburg College.
Name: Vincent Bufalino
Position: Board Member - State Board of Health
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Vincent Bufalino, M.D. to the State Board of Health. Bufalino has more than 35 years of experience as a physician and administrator.
Bufalino is a clinical cardiologist and the Senior Vice President for the Advocate Cardiovascular Institute, where he oversees cardiovascular services for the Advocate Medical Group (AMG). In this position, he is responsible for 140 cardiologists in the system and has helped lead the expansion of cardiovascular services AMG offers. Prior to that, he was the Vice Chairman and CEO of Midwest Heart Specialists, which merged with AMG in 2011. He has also advised the DuPage County Board of Health on its obesity programs.
Bufalino earned his medical degree from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago. He also earned his bachelor's degree from Loyola University Chicago. He lives in Glen Ellyn.
Name: Jorge Perez
Position: Board Member - Urban Weatherization Initiative Board
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Jorge Perez to the Urban Weatherization Initiative Board. Perez brings more than 20 years of experience in the private and public sectors to the position.
Currently, Perez is the Executive Director of the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA), where he leads and manages the day-to-day operations of the organization. The HACIA works to ensure equality in the construction industry. Prior to his work at the HACIA, Perez worked for the Chicago Transit Authority and the Chicago Department of Aviation.
Perez holds a bachelor's degree from Roosevelt University and an MBA from Loyola University Chicago. He lives in Chicago.
Name: Robert E. Wordlaw
Position: Board Member - Urban Weatherization Initiative Board
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Robert E. Wordlaw to serve on the Urban Weatherization Initiative Board.
From 1995 to 2014, Wordlaw served as the Executive Director of the Chicago Jobs Council, where he managed the finances, fundraising, advocacy and internal operations of the organization. He also oversaw the training and education programs administered by the council. His prior experience includes time at The Neighborhood Institute where he served as Vice President and Director of Employment and Training. His duties were comprised of managing employment and training including carpentry construction and weatherization programs.
Wordlaw currently serves as a consultant to organizations and individuals engaged in the planning and delivery of workforce development services.
Wordlaw earned his bachelor's degree from Goddard College. He lives in Homewood.
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