Meet the Board Members

Dr. Lázaro López speaks nationally as an advocate for relevancy in schools, business partnerships, and career pathways. He has been featured in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Profiles of Change, the Achieving Tomorrow Series and recognized as the Illinois High School Principal of the Year for his efforts to ensure economic mobility in his school community. Since 2015, Dr. López has served as the Chair of the Illinois Community College Board. He also serves as the Youth Apprenticeship Chair for the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board, and the Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for High School District 214 in Arlington Heights, IL including 12,000 students across six comprehensive high schools.

Dr. López has served as an adjunct faculty member in the graduate educational leadership program at Roosevelt University and education doctoral program at Aurora University. Prior to his leadership in education, Dr. López served as a training non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. He earned his Doctorate of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Aurora University, Master of Arts Degree in Educational Administration from Roosevelt University, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication and English from Illinois State University, and an Associates of Arts Degree from the College of DuPage.

Term Expires: June 30, 2025

Dr. Teresa Garate has spent over 30 years working throughout Illinois and the US as an expert in public health, social and human services, and education. She has lead large complex systems through innovation and change and is a respected speaker, presenter and subject matter expert in the areas of mental health, disability, education and public health.

Dr. Garate holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago and serves on national, state and local boards and committees promoting access to healthcare and services for people of all backgrounds. She has been a strong advocate for community inclusion and access for all and it is this passion that is embedded throughout her career.    In addition to her leadership roles in public service both at the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Chicago Public Schools, Dr. Garate is also an experienced administrator having served as CEO to two medium non-profit organizations serving people with disabilities in integrated settings.  She has served as a member of the Illinois Community College Board and represents the community college board on the Illinois Board of Higher Education since 2012 and was recently named Vice Chair of the board. Additionally, Dr. Garate also serves as a founding board member of Kennedy Forum Illinois which is a subsidiary of the National Kennedy Forum and was recently appointed to serve on Governor Pritzker’s Health and Human Services Taskforce.   Her most recent leadership role was as a member of the C-suite as the Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships & Engagement at the Gateway Foundation, a national non-profit serving people with substance use disorders across the U.S.  She is currently the Executive Vice President for Strategy & Growth at Roger’s Behavioral, a national non-profit with services in ten states specializing in meeting the mental health needs of children, teens and adults.

She holds two Bachelors’ degrees from Loyola University of Chicago, and Masters and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Term Expires: June 30, 2025

Dr. Maureen Banks was elected to District 505 Parkland College board of trustees in April 2021. An active participant in the Champaign-Urbana community, Dr. Banks has served multiple-year terms on several local and national boards. Currently, she serves on the Illinois Community College Board, Midwest Higher Education Compact, Illinois Community College Trustees Association, Association of Community College Trustees, Carle Hospital Institutional Review Board, and the Champaign Rotary Foundation Board. Dr. Banks earned a Ph.D. from the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an M.S. from the School of Preventive Medicine & Environmental Health at the University of Iowa, and a B.S. from Western Illinois University. With over 30 years at the University of Illinois, Dr. Banks retired as the director of the Division of Safety and Compliance. Her career has been committed to occupational safety and environmental compliance in private industries and public institutions, including DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Southland Corporation, Banks Safety Consultants, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Maureen and her husband Sam have three adult children: Bryan (Kayla), Brittany Banks Simon (Coulter), and Danielle Banks; and four grandchildren.

Term Expires: June 30, 2029

Craig Bradley teaches computers and astronomy at Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Illinois. He has been with the college for over 30 years and specializes in computer literacy, logic and program suites. Craig is also the advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Alpha Lambda Epsilon Chapter for 29 years and is a member of the Illinois Regional Advisory Committee of PTK. He holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from SIU Carbondale and has graduate hours in astronomy in the field of Space Studies from American Public University. A strong believer in sciences and education, Craig is passionate about showing students they can achieve anything if they work towards a goal. Craig is passionate about amateur radio and is a member of the Paducah (KY) Amateur Radio Association and the Society of Midwest Contesters and regularly talks to his students about the relationship of amateur radio communications, computers and astronomy.

Term Expires: June 30, 2025

Terry L Bruce is currently the CEO and Chairman of the Board of a public electric and gas utility serving customers in 7 communities in southeastern Illinois. From March 1996 to July 2019, Bruce served as the Chief Executive Officer of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges – a four-college system comprised of Frontier College, Lincoln Trail College, Olney Central College, and Wabash Valley College. Prior to coming to Illinois Eastern, Bruce was United States Congressman from 1985 – 1993. He served on the Education committee and represented the eighth largest district in the United States in terms of higher education students. The district included the University of Illinois, Eastern Illinois University, and six community colleges. Bruce also served as an Illinois State Senator from 1970-1984. And for 14 consecutive years, was the sponsor of funding legislation for all community colleges in the state-wide system. He was also principal author of all significant community college legislation during his term of office. From 1974-1984, Bruce was the Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois State Senate. Bruce is a graduate of the University of Illinois, and the University of Illinois College of Law. He is married to Charlotte Bruce, and they have two daughters, Emily Bruce and Ellen Bruce.

Term Expires: June 30, 2026

An-Me Chung is the director of Teaching, Learning & Tech and strategic advisor to the Education Policy program at New America, and co-founder of build4good, a matching and mentoring internship for post-secondary students and nonprofit organizations that aims to inspire a diversity of future leaders to develop civically minded technology

An-Me has led the Dr. Seuss Foundation, Knowledge Alliance, Amplifier, and Digital Harbor Foundation through organizational development and strategic planning. She spearheaded development of equitable computer science education ecosystems as a CSforALL fellow. She forged partnerships and led the development of core curriculum and global digital literacy and 21^st century skills standards and credentials at the Mozilla Foundation. She managed initiatives at the MacArthur Foundation designed to improve student learning in digital media through partnerships with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In leading the education grantmaking at the C. S. Mott Foundation, she partnered with the U.S. Department of Education through the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations to build the afterschool field. She directed the Save the Children Out-of-School Time Rural Initiative at the Wellesley Centers for Women. 

An-Me completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University and holds a PhD from Yale University and a BS from Washington University in St. Louis. She is a Presidential Leadership Scholar and alumni advisor, a program convened by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to bring together leaders who share a commitment to help solve society’s greatest challenges.

Term Expires: June 30, 2025

Nicholas Kachiroubas, Ph.D. was appointed to the Illinois Community College Board in January, 2016. He serves as associate teaching professor in the School of Public Service at DePaul University where he teaches a variety of graduate course in leadership, public policy, public administration, and nonprofit management. Dr. Kachiroubas also serves as the city clerk of the city of Crystal Lake, Illinois. Previously, Dr. Kachiroubas served from 1999-2005 as a trustee on the McHenry County College Board of Trustees.

Dr. Kachiroubas holds a Ph.D. in Leadership, Learning and Service from Cardinal Stritch University; a M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Lewis University; a B.A. in History from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and an A.S. from McHenry County College. He resides in Crystal Lake, Illinois where in his spare time he enjoys sailing.

Term Expires: June 30, 2021

Marlon McClinton is the President and CEO of Utilivate Technologies, an energy management and solutions company he founded in 2001. With over 22 years of excellence in the field, Marlon is dedicated to providing energy management and evaluation, measurement and verification services to utilities, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and government agencies across the country. Based in the Chicagoland area, Marlon works closely with businesses in the local community as well as in other states, with a strong commitment to impacting under-served and under-represented communities in his work.

Marlon’s skilled leadership has earned recognition for inviting engagement and participation from these communities in utility energy efficiency programs. Alongside his role at Utilivate Technologies, Marlon serves as the Chair of the Executive Committee for the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board (IWIB), driving strategic decision-making and fostering workforce development initiatives. Marlon also Chairs the IWIB Continuous Improvement Committee. He a member of the Advisory Council for the University of Illinois Masters of Energy Engineering program, providing valuable insights and guidance to shape the program’s curriculum and industry relevance.

Marlon actively contributes to industry initiatives and drives advancements in energy conservation practices as a member of both the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) and Illinois Energy Efficiency Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG). He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois and both a Master of Science and Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University.

With his dedication to energy efficiency and commitment to impacting under-served and under-represented communities, Marlon continues to make a significant and positive impact in the field. He collaborates with diverse stakeholders to promote sustainable energy practices and enhance utility programs nationwide.

Term Expires: June 30, 2027

Wes Eggert was selected to serve as the ICCB Student Member by the Student Advisory Committee. A community college student studying Psychology at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois, Wes has maintained high academic honors, was named to ICC’s President’s List, and is a recent inductee into Phi Theta Kappa Honor’s Society. Additionally, Wes served in several student leadership roles, including Vice President of the Student Government Association, President of the International Club, and President of UNITE, a student organization advocating for equity at colleges. Wes expressed a passion for understanding how community colleges operate and views college operations through lenses of inclusion, communication, and community building.