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Equity Plan Advisory Committee

Equity Plan Advisory Committee Charge

The Illinois Higher Education Strategic Plan, A Thriving Illinois: Higher Education Paths to Equity, Sustainability, and Growth, calls on institutions to review and revise existing policies and practices that exacerbate equity gaps​ and develop and implement equity plans and practices to close those gaps. In 2022, as part of omnibus legislation to implement A Thriving Illinois, the Illinois legislature passed and the Governor signed HB 5464 (P.A. 102-1046) requiring all public institutions of higher education to create and implement equity plans and practices to close gaps in enrollment, retention, completion, and student loan repayment rates. (see 110 ILCS 205/9/16 ).

This Advisory Committee was created as part of 102-1046, which states that the illinois board of higher education, in collaboration with the illinois community college board, shall require all public institutions of higher education to develop and submit an equity plan and implement practices that, at a minimum, close gaps in enrollment, retention, completion, and student loan repayment rates for underrepresented groups and encourage all private institutions of higher education to develop and submit such equity plans and implement such practices.

The charge of the Advisory Committee is to provide recommendations to the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board on the components, methods, practices, and strategies to be included in an Illinois Higher Education Equity Plan and Practices framework. The framework will be used by public higher education institutions to develop new and expand existing equity plans and implement practices designed to close gaps that exist among underrepresented and minoritized groups within their respective institutions.


Below you will find additional information about the Advisory Committee.


Advisory Committee Members

Institution/Organization/Agency


Name


Title


City Colleges of Chicago & IBHE Board Member

Veronica Herrero

Chief Strategy Officer, City Colleges of Chicago


ICCB Board Member

An-Me Chung

Director and Strategic Advisor in the Education Policy Program at New America, and co-founder of build4good

Partnership for College Completion

Lisa Castillo Richmond

Executive Director

Diversity Agency

Dr. Addie Shrodes

Deputy Director of Equity

Women Employed

Christina Warden

Director of Policy

Heartland Community College

Terrance Bond

Assistant to the President for EDI

Northern Illinois University

Dr. Vernese Edghill-Walden

Vice President for DEI Chief Diversity Officer

University of Illinois-Chicago

Dr. Amalia Pallares

Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Engagement

University of Illinois-Springfield

Dr. Jennifer Martin

Associate Professor, School of Education

University of Illinois-Springfield

Dr. Jennifer Martin

Associate Professor, School of Education

Governors State University

Dr. Joi Patterson

Chief Diversity Officer

Southern Illinois University System

Dr. Sheila Caldwell

Vice President for EDI Chief Diversity Officer

UIUC

Dr. Lorenzo Baber

Associate Professor, School of Education Director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership

Adler University

Dr. Nataka Moore

Core Faculty for the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D) for Clinical Psychology Program

Greenville University

Dr. Eugene Dunkley

Associate Professor of Biology Dean of Diversity

Elgin Community College

Dr. David Sam

President

Southeastern Illinois College

Sky Fowler

Senior Director of Human Resources and Legal Affairs

John A. Logan College

Toyin Fox

Director of Diversity and Inclusion

Moraine Valley Community College

Dr. Pam Haney

Vice President of Academic Affairs

Illinois Central College

Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey

President

Harper College

Dr. Tamara Johnson

Vice President of DEI

National Research

Coming soon