Meet the Foundation Board Volunteers 2012-2013

 

Finance/Audit Committee

Rick Edwards - Arcola, Illinois

Rick graduated from Eastern in 1968 with his B.S. in Business. Before retiring from Eastern in 2009, Rick began his professional career in public accounting operating his own CPA Accounting and Tax Service business. While employed at Eastern he held various positions within the University.

Rick is serving his first year as a Volunteer on the Finance/Audit Committee. He formerly served on the Foundation Board as Assistant Treasurer. He also served on the Finance Committee and as Ex-Officio.

 

Investment Committee

 

Scott Biermann - Clayton, Missouri

Scott BiermannScott graduated from EIU in 1988 with a B.S. in Business Finance. He currently serves as senior vice president for Fidelity Investments Institutional Services.  He is responsible for investment/mutual fund products to Mid-western based institutional investment firms. Scott’s previous experience includes regional sales management, as well as a registered principal for an independent broker dealer.

 He has over twenty years of retail and institutional experience in the capital markets, securities compliance and investment products. Scott is serving his third year as a Volunteer on the Foundation’s Investment Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donald L. Gher - Bellevue Washington

Don GherDon, a 1973 Eastern graduate, holds a B.S. in Business with Marketing major. He was named the EIU School of Business Distinguished Alumnus in 2003 and Distinguished Alumnus in 2007 by the EIU Alumni Association. He has held several positions, including head of a multi-billion dollar trust/investment department for the Marine Bank of Springfield, portfolio manager/analyst for the Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado and Kingsley, Jennison, McNult and Morse in San Francisco. He served as General Manager, Wertheim Schroder, Tokyo and as fund manager/analyst for Bank of America Investment Management in Seattle. His economic and investment views have been cited in numerous national and international publications and he was a frequent guest on Bloomberg TV, BloombergRadio, CNBC, KIRO Radio, and Northwest Cable News.

 Don retired in 2007 as Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Coldstream Capital Management in Bellevue WA, which he co-founded in 1996. Coldstream, at that time a $1.2 billion firm, caters to high net worth private clients and their families. Don became a Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder in 1981 and in 2006 was one of only 20 CFAs worldwide to be awarded the first 20-Year Certificate of Continuing Education. He is a former member of the EIU Business Advisory Board and a former member of the EIU Alumni Association Board of Directors. He is Chair of the St. Louise Catholic Church Finance Council, a board member for Blood Cell Storage, Inc., an advisory board member for Lifecodex Media. After serving over six years on the Board, Don has retired and is serving his second year as a Volunteer on the Investment Committee. He has formerly served as the Foundation Board President, Vice President, Treasurer, Chair of the Investment and also served on the Nominating Committee.

 

 

James Schnorf - Longwood Florida

Jim SchnorfJim is a 1976 graduate of EIU with a BS in Business/Accounting and a graduate of the University of Illinois Executive MBA program. Jim is the founder and president of Wall Street Management & Capital, Inc., a strategic financial advisory firm that arranges capital for clients through a large variety of institutional funding sources. His company also facilitates revenue opportunities for clients through introductions to government agencies and Fortune 1000 firms. He previously served as the general manager and chief financial officer of Florida’s largest independently owned investor relations company where he oversaw the entity’s financing, initial public offering, and investment portfolio management functions.

His prior experience also includes serving as the co-founder and president of a Midwest based boutique mezzanine venture fund; as treasurer and chief financial officer of Stevens Industries, Inc. (a major woodworking firm based in Central Illinois); and as group controller for Sequa Corporation (a Fortune 1000 aerospace concern). He held a variety of managerial positions with Caterpillar, Inc., during his ten years of service at the firm upon graduation from Eastern Illinois University. Jim is a past member of the EIU Alumni Association Board of Directors, and the School of Business and Accountancy advisory boards. Jim is serving his second year as a Volunteer on the Investment Committee. Previously he served on the Foundation Board of Directors and also as chair of the Scholarships & Grants Committee. In addition he served on the Investment, Nominating, Finance, Oversight & Outreach (formerly the Mission & Policy) Committees, and has served as the Board’s representative to the Council of Institutional Investors. 

 

Oversight & Outreach Committee

William Hill - Charleston, Illinois

 Bill began his education with a B.A. in Education from the Kentucky Wesleyan College. He then went on to earn his M.S. in School Administration from Indiana State University and his Ph.D. in Education from Southern Illinois University.   His professional career in School administration spans over 40 years. In his capacity Bill served 27 years as a School District Superintendent, 18 of which were with the Charleston School District. He dedicated 31 years to school administration within the public schools of Illinois, 13 years as Adjunct Professor at Eastern and 4 years as a State of Illinois Regional Vocational Director. 

Bill’s professional memberships include the Illinois Association School Administrators, Retired Teachers Association of Illinois and the State Universities Annuitants Association.  He has also held professional appointments with the Illinois State Board of Education. He served as a President on the Charleston Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and devoted 11 years to the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center Board of Directors.  He also received an appointment with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for children, was a member of the Wesley Foundation Board for five years and for three years served as Board of Director for the Lake Land Community College Foundation. This is Bill’s first year serving as a Volunteer on the Board’s Oversight & Outreach Committee.

 

Real Estate Committee

 

Rick Ingram - Chicago, Illinois

Rick IngramRick graduated with honors from Eastern in 1978 with a BA in Political Science. He went on to receive his Juris of Doctorate from the University of Tennessee in 1981. Rick recently joined the AMI Group in Chicago as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer. He formerly was a partner at Shefsky & Froelich Ltd.  He has experience in a broad range of real estate matters, including acquisition and disposition of large commercial properties, negotiation of governmental incentives, and facilitation of multi-level public/private initiatives. He successfully secured tax increment financing and other benefits for numerous projects, and has represented clients in a variety of other public/private partnerships.

In addition Rick has extensive experience counseling clients on issues relating to the management of large commercial properties. He also has significant experience working with diverse community groups and stakeholders. He has numerous charitable, public service, and community activities which have included President of the Lakeview Action Coalition, Director of the Edgewater Community Council, Member of the Coles County Board, Member of the Coles County Regional Planning Commission, Member of the Hawthorne Academy Local School Council. Rick was also named a Leading Lawyer, which consists of the top 5% of Illinois Lawyers, as selected by his peers. Rick has given numerous seminars and presentations on office leasing and other real estate-related topics. He has extensive experience speaking before community groups. Rick is serving his first year as a Volunteer on the Foundation’s Real Estate Committee.

 

Thomas R. Maskey, Jr. - Fairfax, Virginia

Tom MaskeyTom graduated from EIU in 1975 with a B.S. in Business and in 1976 with a Master’s in Business Administration.  Early in his career he directed the real estate effort for Jewel’s downstate Illinois Eisner Food Stores division through 1984. Maskey then moved to Melvin Simon and Associates of Indianapolis where as vice president he was part of a team that developed over 20 million square feet of shopping center space throughout the US. In 1993 Tom joined The Peterson Companies of Fairfax, Virginia where as senior vice president of retail, he oversaw all the retail development and leasing of the company’s shopping center portfolio which included award winning projects in Gaithersburg, Maryland (The Washington Center), Fairfax Corner in Fairfax, Virginia, the redevelopment of “Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland and the company's flagship development located on the Potomac River and known as National Harbor.

In 2010, Tom partnered with several former Peterson executives to form a new real estate development business. This new company, Potomac Development Group, is located in Centerville, Virginia. He is also co-founder and part owner of two retail chains that operate in the Central Illinois market. Maskey is vice president, real estate for the company which operates five 2nd Cinema stores in Illinois and seven Friar Tuck Beverage stores in Missouri and Illinois. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and The International Council of Shopping Centers. He is also a board member of Alterna Care a home health care company based in Springfield, Illinois and currently serves on the EIU School of Business Advisory Board. Tom is serving his third year as a Volunteer on the Foundation’s Real Estate Committee. 

 

Scholarships & Grants Committee

 

 

Cal Campbell, Charleston, Illinois

Cal CampbellCal, a South Dakota native went on to receive his ED.S in Guidance and Counseling in 1972. He then attended the University of New Mexico where he earned his Master’s in Counseling. Over the next several years he held positions at a Cooperative Ed Teacher and School Counselor.

Applying for a student advising job at EIU, he went on to complete his Doctorate with the University of Illinois. Following retirement he returned to work advising elementary and secondary education students. This is Cal’s second year serving as a Volunteer on the Foundation’s Scholarships & Grants Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

Alison Maley - Springfield, Illinois

Alison MaleyAlison earned her BA in Political Science from Eastern in 2002 and her MA in Political Science from Eastern in 2010. In February 2011, Alison became the Governmental Relations/Public Relations Director for the Illinois Principals Association in Springfield, IL. Alison works with lobbyists within the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance to research and lobby issues important to school principals, superintendents, school boards, and school business officials. Upon graduation from EIU in 2002, Alison began her career as a legislative aide with State Representatives Brandon Phelps, a Democrat from Harrisburg, IL, and Bob Flider, a Democrat from Mt. Zion, IL. After helping to manage Representative Flider’s successful re-election campaign in 2006, she returned to Charleston, IL and began work at Eastern Illinois University as a Philanthropy Director for the College of Arts & Humanities and the Honors College. Alison completed her graduate work in Political Science simultaneously.

As an undergraduate student at Eastern, Alison was active in Weller Hall Council, Residence Hall Association, National Residence Hall Honorary, intramural sports, and Student Government. She served as a student senator for two years prior to being elected Student Body President for the 2002-2003 school year. During her tenure as president, Alison began a campus-wide community service project, now called Panther Service Day. Alison was also active in volunteer efforts with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Rotary International. She has also volunteered as a Practice Partner for the Girls on the Run of Central Illinois in the Springfield Public School District. Alison is serving her first year as a Volunteer on the Board’s Scholarships & Grants Committee.