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Search Committee to Assist in the Selection of a President, 2026

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees is conducting a search for the next president of the University of Illinois System.

At its April 29, 2026, meeting, the Board of Trustees named members to the Search Committee to Assist in the Selection of President, 2026 and charged the committee with its role and duties to the process. The group, consisting of faculty, students, staff, administrators, alumni, and other supporters of the University of Illinois System, will develop the profile of accomplishments and characteristics for ideal candidates to the position. With the help of a search firm and staff, the committee will also identify and screen prospective candidates. The work of this important group will provide a strong foundation to the Board for the final selection of a president who will lead the University into its next era. 

Find out more about the process of selecting the University of Illinois System president, visit www.uillinois.edu/about/presidential_search.

 

Schedule and Materials

Materials for the meeting will be listed with the date when available.

 

Date Time and Location Materials
May 21, 2026 1 p.m.
Illinois Ballroom, I Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. First St., Champaign		 notice of meeting and agenda
minutes

Committee Members

  • Ramón Cepeda, member of the Board of Trustees, co-chair
  • Ann Yeung, College of Fine and Applied Arts, School of Music; professor and strings area chair, co-chair
  • Joseph Gutman, member of the Board of Trustees
  • Suzet M. McKinney, member of the Board of Trustees
  • Joseph Irudayaraj, The Grainger College of Engineering, Founder Professor of Bioengineering and associate director of shared resources for the Cancer Center of Illinois, representing Urbana faculty
  • Stephen Maren, director of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, professor of psychology, representing Urbana faculty
  • Liz Aquino, College of Nursing, clinical associate professor of biobehavioral nursing science and associate dean for academic affairs, representing Chicago faculty
  • Sandra De Groote, University Library, professor and head of scholarly communications, representing Chicago faculty
  • Kouros Mohammadian, College of Engineering, Distinguished Professor of Transportation Engineering and head, Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering, representing Chicago faculty
  • Devin Hunter, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences; associate professor and chair, Department of History, representing Springfield faculty
  • Megan Styles, College of Health, Science, and Technology (CHST), associate professor, chair and program lead of environmental studies in the School of Integrated Sciences, Sustainability, and Public Health, representing Springfield faculty
  • Gabi DalSanto, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, junior in natural resources and environmental sciences, representing Urbana students
  • Ashley Huang, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; senior in neuroscience, with minors in nutrition and finance, pre-med track in the Graduate Professional Program Admissions BS/MD Program, representing Chicago students
  • Mitch Olenick, College of Business and Management, graduate student, master of business administration; varsity athlete in men’s soccer, representing Springfield students
  • Matt Spindler, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Illinois Extension, evaluation specialist, representing academic professional staff
  • Tenea Harris, University of Illinois System Office of Procurement Services, supplier diversity manager, representing civil service staff
  • Janet L. Gooch, chancellor, University of Illinois Springfield, and vice president, University of Illinois System, representing administrative officers
  • Robert A. Barish, vice chancellor for health affairs, Chicago, representing administrative officers
  • Joshua H. Whitman, director, Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, Urbana, representing administrative officers
  • Cedric D. Thurman, (’87 BUS), finance; executive vice president for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, representing Urbana alumni
  • Mary Maryland, (’94 PhD nursing); primary care provider, WellBe Senior Medical, representing Chicago alumni
  • Donovan Pepper, (’94 political studies, ’96 MA political studies); principal and director of National Strategic Partnerships, Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, representing Springfield alumni
  • William D. Forsyth, (’86 BUS), finance; co-founder and partner, Frontier One LLC, representing the University of Illinois Foundation