Skoien elected chair of Board of Trustees

Gary Skoien is the new chair of the NIU Board of Trustees.

A member of the board since 1999 and its most recent vice chair, Skoien is the CEO and chairman of the board for Horizon Group Properties, Inc., and executive vice president and chief operating officer for The Prime Group, Inc., both based in Chicago.

Skoien, who succeeds Manny Sanchez atop the board, pledges emphasized efficiency and accountability as well as a sharp focus on private fund raising, enhanced educational experiences, critical public service endeavors and accelerated economic development activities.

He also indicated hopes to renew work on the West Campus development plan, an area he said holds great promise in helping the university realize many of its larger goals.

“It is a great honor for me to serve my state through membership on the NIU board,” Skoien said after Thursday’s election. “I have learned a great deal about the ‘business’ of public higher education, and have developed a tremendous respect for those faculty, staff and administrators who make this university run.”

A “very different” environment for higher education has begun, he said, and shows no signs of changing.

“It is clear to me that we must emphasize efficiency in everything we do. We must be even more willing than ever before to open up the books and demonstrate accountability for resources, people and programs,” Skoien said.

“We must step up our private fundraising efforts,” he added. “At the same time, we must turn up the volume on NIU’s voice of advocacy in public higher education. The university has built a strong NIU presence in Springfield and Washington, and we must build on that work.”

Skoien holds a master of public policy degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Colgate University.

Joining him atop the board are Barbara Giorgi Vella as vice chair and Catherine M. Adduci as secretary.

Vella, an attorney with Rockford-based Vella, Sparkman, Wheeler and Lund, P.C., earned her juris doctor and master’s degrees at NIU. She has served on the board since 1999.

Adduci, vice president, client relationship executive, with Chicago-based Unisys Corp., has served the board since 2001. Adduci also is an NIU alumna, earning her bachelor’s degree in marketing here.

6-23-03