Leadership and Governance

University leadership is a structured system that ensures the institution operates effectively, aligns with its mission, and serves the needs of students, faculty, and staff. Our leadership model includes a Board of Trustees, which provides oversight, sets strategic priorities, and ensures financial sustainability. Working closely with the cabinet, the Office of the President leads the university, representing its interests to external stakeholders while guiding overall institutional direction.

��Ƶ leadership also involves representative bodies that give voice to key university stakeholders. The Faculty Senate advocates for faculty interests, participating in policy development, academic planning, and institutional decision-making. Similarly, the Civil Service Senate represents university staff, addressing workplace concerns and contributing to policies affecting non-faculty employees. The Student Senate ensures that students have an active role in shaping university policies, advocating for student needs, and enhancing campus life.

Our Leaders

Board of Trustees

Board Members

James Kvedaras

Chair

Biography

James Kvedaras is a nearly lifelong resident of Chicago’s far south suburbs. He and his wife Cathy currently reside in the west suburban area and have two adult children and three grandchildren. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from ��Ƶ and his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Jim retired after 37 years in the railroad industry, working for one of the large “Class 1” international freight railroads. He established a pattern of assuming roles of increased management responsibility across several departments, including as Director of U.S. Government Affairs, where he managed state and local Government Affairs for sixteen states.

Previous roles included positions in Public Affairs (including as spokesman for the company’s U.S. operations), Contracts and Agreements, Corporate Development (strategic planning), and several sub-departments in engineering. One of his highlights throughout his career has been reaching out to newer employees in an informal mentoring capacity, encouraging them in ways to build their own professional skill sets, and improving their competence and confidence.

While he participated in various community organizations during his working career, including baseball and soccer coaching for area youth athletics organizations, he also participated for years on the Dean’s advisory committee for ��Ƶ’s College of Business.

He now continues to give of his time on boards and committees for several organizations. He is in his second term as Trustee for ��Ƶ (and Board Secretary) and represents ��Ƶ on the State Universities Civil Service System’s Merit Board. He is a longtime Director and Executive committee member for the Cancer Support Center of Homewood and Mokena, IL. He also donates time and energy as a volunteer for his local food pantry, in various capacities.

A believer in lifelong learning, he looks forward to the challenges of helping provide guidance and direction to the state’s University College system and their student bodies.

Stacy Crook

Vice Chair

Biography

Stacy Crook, an alumna of the university’s Master of Science Accounting program, is a Principal and Director of Investment Accounting at Asset Allocation and Management and brings more than 20 years of financial and investment experience to the board. Previously with Jackson National Life Insurance and Northern Trust Company, Crook has been recognized by many, including her peers as Diversity MBA’s 2018 Top 100 Under 50 Executive Leaders.

Crook also serves her community as the Chicago Chapter President for the National Black MBA Association and as Vice-Chair for ��Ƶ’s College of Business Advisory Board. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and United Way of Metro Chicago’s Women United Creating Connections.

Shortly after Crook's appointment to the ��Ƶ’s Board of Trustees, she attended her first trustee meeting where Chair Angela Sebastian introduced the new trustee. “The board is excited to welcome a community leader with proven commitment to ��Ƶ and we are grateful and fortunate for her willingness to serve,” Sebastian said.

“Stacy has an expertise in process optimization, change management and corporate governance, and we are so fortunate to work with her," Sebastian said later.

Crook joins trustees Sebastian, Jim Kvedaras, and Kevin Brookins as the fourth alum on the board. She was appointed to the board to fill a vacancy left by Lisa Harrell who stepped down in 2022.

Crook received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Business Administration from Roosevelt University.

Karen Nunn

Secretary

Biography

Karen Nunn, an alumna of the university’s Master of Science Accounting program, is a CPA and a finance executive with more than 30 years of accounting and financial operations experience. She started her career at a small accounting firm, and after 13 years joined Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) in a senior accountant position
while completing her master’s degree.

Nunn rose quickly to manager and currently serves as Vice President of Financial Operations at HCSC, where she founded the Financial Service Division Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Forum. Its objective is to create a sense of belonging and cultivate understanding and growth in divisional employees and the communities served.

Nunn anticipates using her accounting experience and her time as a ��Ƶ student in her role as Trustee on ��Ƶ's board.

“I want to leverage my knowledge and experience to further the mission and vision of the great ��Ƶ. My experience as a student and as a parent of two college graduates balances my finance background with the realities, challenges, and dreams of an educational journey," said Nunn.

Nunn joins Chair Angela Sebastian and trustees Jim Kvedaras, Kevin Brookins, and Stacy Crook as the fifth alumnus on the board.

Nunn received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Roosevelt University.

Anibal Taboas

Trustee

Biography

Anibal (ah-knee-ball) L. Taboas, a practitioner of strategic leadership and risk management, is known for consistent accomplishments in the public good, and for decades of pro-bono involvement in governance, such as in ASME International, the Institute for Regulatory Science, and the Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management. His connection with ��Ƶ includes six years as Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee which immediately preceded recent apolitical re-appointment as Trustee, where he intends to apply his expertise in organizational transformation.

Mr. Taboas is frequently called to chair technical conferences such as the ICEM series [International Conferences on Environmental Management]. He has an established international reputation as a resourceful executive of vision, integrity, and technical competence, that’s dedicated to developing highly contributing members of society -- particularly through science, technology, inclusion, and mentoring.

Mr. Taboas fosters use of best available science in decision-making, and transparency and accountability in governance. Not a person of many words, attributed quotes include: “We do not have the right to determine on the basis of opinion, that which can be established as a matter of fact”; and “Education, Energy, Economy, and the Environment are inextricably linked, and therefore subject to integrated systems management approaches.”

His career includes distinguished service at The University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, and is retired from the federal career Senior Executive Service. Mr. Taboas is currently a consultant on Strategic Leadership & Risk Management.

Highlights of his history include organizational turn-around of schools and leadership clubs, line management of Argonne National Laboratory, Independent Peer Reviews and Assessments, and providing confidential advice such as to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Executive Office of The President of the United States. He has been credited for saving or averting billions of dollars of public expenditures, and for completing various long-term major systems acquisitions within the original scope, schedule, and budget.

His education includes graduate degrees in physics and nuclear/mechanical engineering, as well as completion of programs ranging from Corporate Governance (Harvard), to certification as Federal Contracting Officer. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, with Spanish as native language, Mr. Taboas is readily available via electronic mail at ATaboas99@GovSt.edu.

Frances Pao-Han Kao

Trustee

Biography

Frances Pao-Han Kao is an attorney, independent arbitrator, and mediator who brings more than three decades of top-tier legal, international dispute resolution, and corporate governance experience to the ��Ƶ Board of Trustees. Appointed by Governor JB Pritzker, she helps guide institutional direction with a focus on strategic oversight and community-enhancing initiatives.

Ms. Kao spent 20 years as a litigation partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, a premier global law firm. During her distinguished tenure, she established and led the firm’s U.S. dispute resolution and regulatory compliance practice in the Asia-Pacific region from its Hong Kong office. Her practice specialized in international arbitration, complex business litigation, and corporate/white-collar investigations, frequently advising Fortune 50 companies across the technology, pharmaceutical, energy, and retail sectors.

Today, she serves as an independent neutral in private mediations and arbitrations, focusing on complex commercial, real estate, and franchising disputes, as well as oil and gas issues.

Professional & Civic Leadership:

��Ƶ: Member, Board of Trustees
City Club of Chicago: Member, Board of Directors
Cornell College (Iowa): Trustee and Chair of the Business Affairs Committee (2010–Present)
Circuit Court of Cook County: Certified Mediator and Commercial Arbitrator
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA): Certified Commercial Arbitrator
Legal Aid & Advocacy: Past board member for multiple civic organizations, including the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law Board of Overseers, and the Legal Assistance Foundation.

Beyond her corporate and public board work, Ms. Kao operates a private venture dedicated to developing, designing, and building community-enhancing housing that incorporates universal design, state-of-the-art technology, and accessible layouts.

She earned a Bachelor of Special Studies in History with high honors from Cornell College and a Juris Doctor with Order of the Coif honors from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. She is a native Mandarin Chinese speaker.

Dr. Judith L. Mitchell

Trustee

Biography

Dr. Judith L. Mitchell, president emerita of Joliet Junior College, brings more than 26 years of higher education governance and financial management experience to the ��Ƶ Board of Trustees. Mitchell served as the ninth president of Joliet Junior College, or JJC, from September 2016 until her retirement in 2022, having previously assumed the role of interim president in March 2016. In recognition of her service, the JJC Board of Trustees granted her president emerita status in June 2022.

Mitchell’s career at the college began in 1996 as an administrative assistant. Over nearly three decades, she advanced through multiple leadership tracks, serving as director of business and auxiliary services and vice president of finance and administrative services before her unanimous appointment to the presidency. Following her retirement from institutional leadership, she founded Judy Mitchell Consulting, a firm dedicated to supporting community colleges nationwide.

Key Leadership & Financial Milestones:

Fiscal Stewardship: Guided the institution through the Illinois fiscal crisis, cutting operating costs by more than $2 million over four years, securing $5.4 million in operational grants, and presenting the college’s 49th consecutive balanced budget in fiscal year 2022.
National Budgeting Recognition: Led the college financial team to earn the Government Finance Officers Association’s Best Practices in Community College Budgeting award for fiscal year 2021.
Equity and Inclusion Champion: Oversaw initiatives that earned the American Association of Community Colleges Advancing Diversity Award in 2021 and a designation as a 2022 Most Promising Place to Work in Community Colleges. Mitchell also presented on bridging higher education equity gaps at the AACC Future Leaders Institute in 2021.

Selected Awards & Accolades:

Silver Cross Hospital Sangmeister Medal of Excellence (2024)
��Ƶ Distinguished Alumni Award in the College of Business (2023)
Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award (2022)
Illinois Community College Trustees Association Gary W. Davis Ethical Leadership Award (2021)
Zonta Club of Joliet’s Woman of Distinction Award (2018)

Civic & Community Involvement:

An active civic leader, Mitchell serves on the boards of Silver Cross Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, and First Secure Bank and Trust. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of New Lenox and the Lincolnway Area Business Women's Organization.

Mitchell earned an associate degree in microcomputers for business and computer programming from JJC in 1998. She holds a bachelor's degree in business and technology and a Master of Business Administration from ��Ƶ. She completed a doctorate in community college leadership from National-Louis University in 2012.

Angelica Zuniga

Trustee

Biography

Angelica Zuniga is an accomplished financial executive and dedicated civic leader who brings more than 25 years of credit union industry experience to the ��Ƶ Foundation Board of Trustees. As Chief Strategy Officer at Illiana Financial Credit Union, she specializes in corporate governance, operational leadership, and community-driven economic development.

In her executive role, Ms. Zuniga leads the development, facilitation, and communication of Illiana Financial’s strategic initiatives and long-term goals. Her extensive background spans high-impact leadership positions across multiple departments, including directing transactional operations, marketing, and asset recovery.

Key Leadership & Financial Milestones:

Strategic Growth: Spearheads the organizational roadmap and strategic execution for Illiana Financial Credit Union across its operational footprint.
Civic Board Governance: Appointed to the ��Ƶ Foundation Board of Trustees in 2022, where she actively champions the university's mission, advances fundraising efforts, and promotes student success.
Business & Economic Development: Served as Vice President (2015) and subsequently President (2017–2019) of the South Holland Business Association, leading crucial initiatives that strengthened community partnerships and enhanced local business opportunities.
Social Service Advocacy: Serves on the regional board of Catholic Charities, contributing her operational expertise to initiatives focused on supporting vulnerable populations and advancing critical social services.

Ms. Zuniga holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Phoenix and successfully completed the rigorous three-year program at the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Management School. Reflecting her deep expertise in operations, strategic planning, and leadership, she earned the elite designation of Certified Credit Union Executive (CCUE) in July 2024.