Meet the Foundation Board Volunteers 2011-2012 |
Finance/Audit Committee
James B. Curtis - West Hollywood, California
James B. (Jim) Curtis is a 1979 High Honors graduate of EIU, earning a B.A. in Political Science. Jim earned his J.D. degree in 1982 from the University of Southern California Law School. At EIU, Jim served as president of Sigma Chi fraternity, chief justice of the Student Supreme Court, and qualified for the National Debate Tournament three times. Jim was one of three finalists for Sigma Chi's 1979 International Balfour Award, recognizing the fraternity's graduate of the year. Jim is vice president & senior counsel at Bank of the West in Los Angeles. In 2006, the California Bankers Association, the nation's largest banking trade association, presented Jim with the Compliance Professional Award. The award is presented annually to an individual for "dedication to excellence, leadership, and advancement of the compliance profession and service to the banking industry." Jim also teaches the course in banking law at USC Law School. Jim is serving his third year as a Volunteer on the Board’s Finance/Audit Committee.
Investment Committee
Scott Biermann - Clayton, Missouri
Scott 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 second year as a Volunteer on the Board’s Investment Committee.
Donald L. Gher - Belluvue Washington
Don, a 1973 Eastern graduate, holds a B.S. in Business with a 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 both 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 from the Foundation Board of Directors and will now serve as a Volunteer and Chair of the Investment Committee. He has formerly served as the Foundation Board President, Vice President, Treasurer and has also served on the Nominating Committee.
James Schnorf - Longwood California
Jim 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 returning 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 Mission & Policy) Committees, and has served as the Board’s representative to the Council of Institutional Investors.
Oversight & Outreach Committee
No Volunteers are serving at this time.
Real Estate Committee
Tom L. Gilomen - Sedona, Arizona and Balboa Island, California 
Tom attended EIU from 1963-1966 and graduated from Southern Illinois University with a B.S. in Business. He also received his M.B.A. from Northwestern University. From 1971- 1986, Tom held progressively challenging management positions with Libby, McNeil and Libby, A.E. Staley, Keebler Cookie and Dean Foods. Since 1986 he has been involved in developing and operating commercial real estate throughout the Sedona area. Tom is the founder and owner of the Cowboy Club and his newest restaurant, the Barking Frog Grille in Sedona Arizona. Tom is serving his third year as a Volunteer on the Board’s Real Estate Committee.
Thomas R. Maskey, Jr. - Fairfax, Virginia
Tom graduated from EIU in 1975 with a B.S. in Business and in 1976 with a Masters 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 second year as a Volunteer on the Board’s Real Estate Committee.
Scholarships & Grants Committee
Cal Campbell, Charleston, Illinois
Cal, 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 Masters in Counseling. Over the next several years he held positions as 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 first year serving as a Volunteer on the Foundation's Scholarships & Grants Committee.
