Board of Trustees | Associated Colleges of Illinois

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

OFFICERS

Frank D. Cella

Chair

Frank has over 30 years of domestic and international insurance industry experience and is a managing director with Marsh USA, Inc., a leading global insurance broker. He currently leads the U.S. Education Practice in the Midwest and is based in Chicago. He has been with Marsh for over 21 years.

Barbara A. Farley

President

Farley is the 14th president of Illinois College, with more than 25 years at a range of liberal arts colleges and universities, most recently as vice president of academic affairs and dean of the college at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Clifton L. Fenton

Secretary-Treasurer

A retired investment banker who specialized in creating financial products that helped low and moderate income people secure housing, Fenton has served on the Associated Colleges of Illinois board for the past 12 years. In addition to his role as treasurer, he also chairs ACI’s Audit and Investment Committee.

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Bill Powell

Advancement Committee

Powell is area executive vice president at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm. He focuses on higher education and nonprofit entities.

Clifton L. Fenton

Audit and Investment Committee

ACI Secretary-Treasurer Clif Fenton also serves as chair of the Audit and Investment Committee.

Lyn Bulman

Program Committee

Bulman is executive vice president of global human resources at Fellowes, Inc., the global manufacturer and marketer of business machines, records storage, and office accessories. Previously, she was senior vice president of human resources and corporate relations at Galileo International, where she held several HR positions in Europe and the United States over 11 years.

Jerry Murphy

Trusteeship Committee

Murphy is retired from DeVry Education Group where, as senior VP/operations for DeVry University, he was responsible for all North American campus and center operations, including leading more than 2,500 employees at 80+ locations enrolling 40,000 students. Currently, he is a consultant with engagements that include work in the Middle East and South Africa. Murphy is a former trustee and past board chair at Quincy University.

MEMBERS AT LARGE

John L. Comerford

Comerford became Blackburn’s 16th president in 2013. Previously, he was vice president and dean of student life at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Chipo C. Nyambuya

Nyambuya is founder and principal of Virgil, LLC, where she advises small- and medium-sized enterprises and service firms on implementing CSR/ESG approaches to their operations. Her professional experience of nearly 20 years includes cross-sector experience, advising Fortune 500 corporations, start-ups, international development agencies and foreign governments.

Jamel SC Wright

Wright was appointed Eureka College’s 27th president in 2017 after serving one year as the college’s interim president. She joined the college in 2014 as vice president for strategic and diversity initiatives. Previously, she was a faculty member at Saint Louis (Missouri) University and at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The first in her family to earn a college degree, Wright earned a bachelor’s degree from Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, plus a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Kansas, Lawrence. Her training and experience in communication and crisis management led to a role with the Ferguson Commission.