Governor Announces appointments to board of trustees for four universities

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[February 28, 2015]  LINCOLN - Governor Rauner has announced appointments to the Board of Trustees at Southern Illinois University, Eastern Illinois University and Chicago State University.

Name: John Gilbert
Position: Board of Trustees
Southern Illinois University


Governor Bruce Rauner has selected John Gilbert, 65, of Carbondale to the Board of Trustees at Southern Illinois University. Gilbert is a life-long public servant and is currently a United States District Court Judge (senior status).

Gilbert was appointed to the federal bench in 1992, and currently presides over criminal and civil cases. Prior to that, he was a First Judicial Circuit Court Judge for nearly five years.

Gilbert has also served the people of Illinois as a member of the State Board of Elections, where he set policy matters for the board and presided over election challenges.

Gilbert holds a law degree from Loyola University Chicago. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois.

Name: Joel Sambursky
Position: Board of Trustees
Southern Illinois University


Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Joel Sambursky, 32, of Carbondale to serve on the Board of Trustees at Southern Illinois University. Sambursky is a graduate of SIU and is the president of Liberty Wealth Management, LLC.

Sambursky has worked at Liberty Wealth Management since 2012. Currently, he manages the day-to-day affairs of the firm including financial and investment planning, marketing and client recruitment. He also advises clients on retirement and college savings plans.

Prior to his work at Liberty Wealth Management, Sambursky worked for Forbes Financial Group in Carbondale as a financial adviser. He advised clients and helped determine if they had adequate retirement assets and insurance policies. Sambursky also worked for the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce.

Sambursky graduated from Southern Illinois University in 2005 with a degree in science finance and earned an MBA in 2007. He was also recognized for his athletic accomplishments during his four years on the SIU football team.

Name: Amy Sholar
Position: Board of Trustees
Southern Illinois University


Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Amy Sholar, 43, of Alton to serve on the Board of Trustees at Southern Illinois University. Sholar is a graduate of SIU - Edwardsville and currently owns her own law firm.
Sholar has owned the Law Office of Amy Sholar, P.C. since 2004. Prior to owning her own law firm, Sholar worked for the City of Alton as a planning coordinator. She was responsible for community redevelopment, real estate acquisitions and zoning matters.

Sholar was also a recipient of the 2012 Women of Distinction award.

Sholar graduated from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville in 1998 with a degree in business administration and holds a law degree from St. Louis University.

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Name: Timothy Burke
Position: Board of Trustees
Eastern Illinois University


Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Timothy Burke, 65, of Evanston to become a member of the Eastern Illinois University’s Board of Trustees. Burke is a graduate of EIU and is currently a member of the EIU Foundation Board of Trustees.

Burke is currently a project risk manager at William Blair & Company. In this role, he works on financial risk management and internal control matters. For ten years until 2012, he was the company’s CFO.

Prior to his work at William Blair & Company, Burke worked at Arthur Andersen & Company for more than 20 years. He became partner in 1987 in the audit practice of the financial services group. He also managed a World Bank project in Indonesia focused on reforming securities industry regulations.

Burke received his bachelor’s degree in math and master’s degree in counseling from EIU. While earning his MS, he also served the EIU community as a residence hall counselor.

Name: Rev. Dr. Marshall Hatch
Position: Board of Trustees
Chicago State University


Governor Bruce Rauner has selected Rev. Dr. Marshall Hatch to join the Chicago State University Board of Trustees. Hatch has spent years in the community and in public service to help others.

Since 1993, Hatch has been the pastor of the New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church on Chicago’s west side. Prior to that, he served as the pastor of Commonwealth Baptist Church.

Throughout his work in the ministry, Hatch has created and developed a number of outreach programs. He is responsible for an interfaith affordable housing development project, which built more than 200 homes for Chicago families. He also established an annual mission trip for inner-city youth.

Hatch earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Western Illinois University. He holds a master’s degree in government from Georgetown University. Hatch also earned a doctorate and masters degree in ministry and theological studies from McCormick Theological Seminary. He was also one of four Merrill Fellows at the Harvard Divinity School in 1998.

[Catherin Kelly, Office of the Governor Bruce Rauner]

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