Gov. Pritzker Announces Eight Appointments to Boards and Commissions

Children and Family Services Advisory Council

Lakeshia Bell will serve as a Member of the Children and Family Services Advisory Council.* Bell has over fifteen years of experience as a Licensed Social Worker, Certified Life & Parent Coach, Mental Health Consultant, and Independent Contractor. Bell is the Founder of Elements of Life Coaching, where she offers Life and Parent Coaching services to individuals and parents. Bell received a Bachelor and Master Degree in the field of Social Work, along with a minor in Sociology, from Southern Illinois University.

Illinois Board of Higher Education

Veronica Herrero will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.* Herrero has been striving to improve education for over two decades. She currently serves as Executive Vice Chancellor-Chief Institutional Advancement Officer and Chief of Staff for the City Colleges of Chicago. In this role, she leads the Office of Institutional Advancement, which includes private and public fundraising, strategic government and community relations. Prior to joining City Colleges of Chicago, Herrero was the Chief Program Officer with One Million Degrees. Herrero also serves as a Trustee for Northern Illinois University. Herrero received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Jamel Wright will serve as Member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Dr. Jamel Wright is the 27th President of Eureka College and is the first woman and person of color to lead the institution. She is a passionate, student-centered, and people-focused leader with over 25 years of experience in higher education and a Ph.D. in Communication with expertise in strategic communications, crisis management, leadership development, and intercultural communication. Dr. Wright’s community work includes mentoring young people and women and finding collaborative solutions to addressing racial disparities and workforce gaps. She has been honored with many accolades for her commitment to service and coalition-building. These include a 2024 Joseph R. Biden President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for service and induction into the Greater Peoria African American Hall of Fame. Her board service includes the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, the Council of Independent Colleges, Federation of Illinois Independent Colleges & Universities and Carle Health. Her doctorate and master’s degree are both from the University of Kansas and her bachelor’s degree is from Missouri Western State University and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Subhash Sharma will serve as a Member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Dr. Subhash C. Sharma has been a Trustee of Southern Illinois University since March 2019 when he was appointed to the SIU Board by Governor Pritzker. Dr. Sharma is an emeritus professor of economics at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. During his 35-year teaching career, he served as the department chair, director of graduate studies and director of undergraduate studies. Dr. Sharma chaired/co-chaired dissertations of 40 Ph.D. students, served on 84 Ph.D. dissertation committees across campus and supervised 18 master’s research papers. He is a Fellow of the Midwest Econometric Group and an active researcher. His research interests are in economics, finance, and statistics, and he has published 90 papers in these areas. His research appeared in top journals such as the International Economic Review, Journal of Econometrics, Journal of Development Economics; Journal of Banking and Finance; Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking; Australian Journal of Statistics; Communications in Statistics-Theory and Methods and Communications in Statistics -Simulation and Computation. Dr. Sharma received a Bachelor of Arts in (Honors) Mathematics, a Master of Arts in Mathematical Statistics from the University of Delhi, and a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics from the University of Kentucky.

Illinois Housing Development Authority

Claire Leopold will serve as a Member of the Illinois Housing Development Authority.* Leopold is a Licensed Illinois Real Estate Managing Broker. She is currently the Co-owner/Managing Broker of Nester Realty, Inc. The business encompasses four offices and sponsors 30 broker-associates. Leopold’s Certifications include Referral and Relocation, Military Relocation Professional, Home Staging Expert, and Luxury Market Specialist. Leopold is a member of the Southwestern Illinois Board of Realtors, Illinois Realtors, National Association of Realtors, and a past member of Employee Relocation Council. She served twice on the Realtor Association of Southwestern Illinois(RASI)/Greater Gateway Association of Realtors (GGAR) Merger Committee, served on the RASI Board of Directors. She has also served on the Professional Standards Committee and Budget-Finance Committee, Southwestern Illinois Regional Multiple Listing Service Board of Governors, SIRMLS/MARIS Transition Committee, MARIS MLS Board of Governors, and is a Major Investor of RPAC. Leopold is a member of the Junior Service Club of St. Clair County, IL. She volunteers on several charity, civic and organizational boards and gives back to the community by supporting local charitable projects. Leopold attended the University of Illinois and St. Louis University and received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Illinois Student Assistance Commission

Franciene Sabens will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.* Sabens is a school counselor at Herrin High School. She was named Illinois' 2014 High School Counselor of the Year and the 2016 ASCA SCOY State Representative for Illinois. She co-authored the 2014 Developmental Counseling Model for Illinois Schools and was a contributor for the 2018 and current Developmental Counseling Model for Illinois Schools. She also co-authored and co-edited the National Career Development Association's School Career Development Advisor curriculum. She earned her Master of Science in Education (Educational Psychology) and her Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

State Board of Health

Rodney Alford will serve as a Member of the State Board of Health.* Dr. Rodney Alford, an Internal Medicine and Pediatric physician, has been committed to public health his entire career. He has worked closely with the Kankakee County Health Department and established 2 school-based clinics in Kankakee. Dr. Alford has been recognized by his peers and was voted “Physician of the Year for Illinois” (2023-2024). He is also involved in many professional organizations including the American Association of Public Health Physicians (AAPHP) and the AAPHP liaison of the American College of Correctional Health Physicians (ACCHP). Associations. Dr. Alford received a bachelor’s degree and Medical Degree from Loyola University in Chicago and a Master in Business Administration from Olivet Nazarene University.

Workers’ Compensation Medical Fee Advisory Board

David Menchetti will continue to serve as a Member of the Workers’ Compensation Medical Fee Advisory Board.* Menchetti has over thirty years of legal experience where he has concentrated his practice in the representation of injured workers throughout Illinois before the Workers’ Compensation Commission, the Circuit Courts and the Illinois Appellate and Supreme Courts. Menchetti is a former staff counsel to Illinois State Senate President Philip J. Rock and concentrated in legislation dealing with insurance, pensions and licensed activities. ​ He has served as counsel to Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones, Jr. and advised and drafted reforms to the Workers’ Compensation Act in 1989 and 1991. ​ Menchetti served as an advisor to the Illinois AFL-CIO on workers’ compensation matters and participated in the negotiations and drafted the amendments to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation law. Menchetti has been a member of: the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association (Workers’ Compensation Law Section Council Chair and Legislation Committee member); the Chicago Bar Association (Industrial Commission Committee Chair); the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association (WCLA President); the American Association for Justice (Workplace Injury Section); Francthe Chicago Area Committee on Occupational Health and Safety (CACOSH). Menchetti received a Bachelor of Arts with distinction from Stanford University and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.

* Appointments pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.

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