General Trustees of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois
The General Trustees, whose duties are to nominate and elect the Laureates, are also responsible for electing from their own ranks the working board of directors of the Academy known as the Board of Regents.
Joy Boruff
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitlePresident / CEO
Home City and StateMoline, IL
Brief BiographyBoruff was among the first group of women to be employed in WOC-TV’s newsroom in 1976. The next year, she became the first female host of a call-in radio public affairs show on WOC-AM. Now she is executive director of the Moline Foundation.
Arthur 'Hy' Bunn
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
Maria del Socorro Pesqueira
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
Brief BiographyPresident of Healthy Communities Foundation, a grantmaking foundation that serves communities in the western Cook County suburbs and the City of Chicago. Her career has centered on working with and lifting voices in marginalized communities. She serves on numerous boards and commissions including the Forest Preserves of Cook County Board and the Census 2020 Advisory Panel.
Mara Sovey Downing
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleVice President, Brand Management & Corporate Communications and President, John Deere Foundation
Robert A. Easter, PhD
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitlePresident Emeritus, Dean Emeritus College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Professor Emeritus, Department of Animal Sciences University of Illinois
James G. Gidwitz
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleChairman and CEO, Continental Materials Corp.
Home City and StateChicago, IL
Brief BiographyChairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer of Continental Materials Corporation and serves as a trustee of the Hotchkiss School
Zale Glauberman
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitlePresident, The Glauberman Circle
Home City and StateSpringfield, IL
Brief BiographyPresident, The Glauberman Circle, legislative office specializing in legislative and public affairs representation.
J'Tia Hart, PhD
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleProgram Lead, Security Sciences Division
Home City and StateChicago, IL
Brief BiographyDr. Hart is a nuclear engineer currently serving as the Program Lead in the Security Sciences Division at Argonne National Laboratory where she directs analysis covering international affairs, nuclear energy and safety, energy security and cybersecurity to inform executive cabinet decisions.
Dr. Roger D. Herrin
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleSIU Board of Trustees Member
Home City and StateHarrisburg, IL
Brief BiographyCommunity leader, business person, and doctor. Attended University of Illinois College of Medicine and Illinois College of Podiatric Medicine with a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Degree and received the highest and last Dr. L. R. McCain Award for outstanding proficiency in surgical anatomy and surgery; past president of the American College of Foot Surgeons.
Melvin L. Katten
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleCo-Founder / Senior Counsel at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Home City and StateWinnetka, IL
Brief BiographyRetired founding partner of Katten Muchin Roseman, LLP and serves as senior counsel; former chairman of the Anti-Defamation League’s Chicago Regional Board; past president of the Better Government Association.
Sheila Berner Kennedy
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
Home City and StateKenilworth, IL
Brief BiographyExecutive Director of Top Box Foods; volunteer attorney for Legal Assistance Foundation; appointed in 2011 by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve on the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar.
Howard A. Learner
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitlePresident and Executive Director, Environmental Law & Policy Center
Brief BiographyAdjunct Professor at the University of Michigan Law School and Northwestern University School of Law, teaching advanced seminars on energy law and climate change policy, environmental constitutionalism, and sustainable development law.
Shirley R. Madigan
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleChairman, Illinois Arts Council
Home City and StateChicago, IL
Brief BiographyTrustee at Loyola University of Chicago; Director at After School Matters, Inc; Chairman of Illinois Arts Council.
Jessica Malkin
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleExecutive Vice President, Cresset Capital
Home City and StateChicago, IL
Brief BiographyJessica Malkin is the Executive Vice President of Cresset Capital. She is the founder of Chicago Ideas, overseeing the creation of the annual program and the development of the organization’s long-term strategy.
Lucyna Migala
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleArtistic Director & General Manager, The Lira Ensemble
Home City and StateChicago, IL
Brief BiographyArtistic director, general manager, and narrator of Lira Ensemble; national board member of the Polish Women’s Alliance of America; officer of the Polish Arts Club of Chicago; Co-founder and vice president of the Chicago Chapter of the Kosciusko Foundation; founding member of the Ethnic and Folk Arts Panel of the Illinois Arts Council.
Delmer R. Mitchell
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitlePartner
Home City and StateQuincy, IL
Brief BiographyA highly respected attorney and community leader in the Quincy area.
Harold Oakley
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleChairman
Brief BiographyChairman of Schmiedeskamp Robertson Neu & Mitchell LLP. He focuses his practice on corporate and other business law (including transactional health care law), mergers and acquisitions. Hal also assists the firm’s education law practice group. Hal is extensively involved in the community, particularly in organizations committed to the social, educational, and cultural betterment of society.
Joseph A. Power, Jr.
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitlePartner, Power Rogers & Smith, PC
Home City and StateChicago, IL
Brief BiographyFounding partner of law firm Power, Rogers & Smith, P.C.; past president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and Public Justice; fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers; member of the Inner Circle of Advocates.
Jon Pyatt
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleRep. Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Chief of Staff
Home City and StateWashington, DC
Brief BiographyChief of Staff to Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) in U.S. Congress; former Director of Federal Relations for the University of Illinois system
Darryl Rodgers
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleVice President
Home City and StateChicago, IL
Brief BiographyDarryl Rodgers is a Vice President and Financial Advisor in the Chicago office of Bernstein. He works with high-net-worth families and individuals, charitable groups and small businesses and, together with their other professional advisors and Bernstein’s portfolio and wealth management specialists, helps clients make investment decisions optimized to meet their goals.
Shirley W. Ryan
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleCivic Leader
Home City and StateWinnetka, IL
Brief BiographyPresident and Treasurer of Shirley Ryan, Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Foundation, concentrating in Education, Arts, Roman Catholic concerns and youth services. Served on boards, founded programs, or sponsored developments for numerous organizations and institutions including the Lyric Opera, the Art Institute, Northwestern University, WTTW Public Media, among others.
Linda Schielke
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitleNext Generation Leadership Task Force
Home City and StateBatavia, IL
Brief BiographyA recognized educator and educational leader in Illinois for over three decades. Linda gives presentations and provides leadership to several not-for-profit organizations focused on the preservation of historic figures and their achievements. Linda currently serves as Batavia’s First Lady. (Her husband, Jeff Schielke, has held the role of Batavia Mayor for almost 40 years.)
Marc S. Schulman
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitlePresident
Home City and StateChicago, IL
Brief BiographyPresident of Eli’s Cheesecake; partners with schools and organizations such as Wilbur Wright College, the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, Vaughn Occupational High School, among others.
Smita Shah
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
Todd Shapiro
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
TitlePresident and CEO
Home City and StateLa Grange Park, IL
Brief BiographyPresident and CEO of the Illinois CPA Society, Illinois CPA Foundation, and CPAs for the Public Interest, and an ex-officio board member of the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois. In 2015, Todd was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the accounting profession by Accounting Today.
Mark Slaby
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
Home City and StateClarendon Hills, IL
Brief BiographyMARK SLABY is an Executive and Business Owner. He is affiliated with Juno Payments – Global Ecommerce and Mobile Software Enterprise Payment Solutions. Global software payment solutions for: ecommerce, mobile, and merchant services.
Doug Stewart
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
Home City and StateEast Peoria, IL
Brief BiographyDoug and Vicky Stewart have been great supporters of nonprofits throughout central Illinois for more than 35 years.
Dana Withers
Office HolderGeneral Trustee
Brief BiographyPresident of Withers Broadcasting. Founder and President of Dana Communications. Trustee for the National Association of Broadcasters Political Action Committee.