Alumni Advisory Board
In 2006, the Department of Speech Communication at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana established an Alumni Advisory Board. The Advisory Board is designed to strengthen ties between the department and its accomplished alumni all over the United States.
The overall mission of the Board is to support the research, instructional, and public engagement activities of the Department (also available is a PDF of the Advisory Board Plan). Among its activities, the Board:
- provides advice and counsel at the request of the Department in matters relating to the preparation of students to enter the communication field and profession
- serves as a liaison for the Department’s current students to the professional world
- helps generate the human and material resources necessary to attain the goals and objectives of the department.
The Advisory Board is comprised of a select group of 12-15 members that represent the diversity, the breadth of occupational careers, and the varied accomplishments of Speech Communication alumni. Individuals are appointed to serve on the Board by invitation only. Board members typically serve a period of two years, with the possibility of an additional term at the request of the department. The current members of the 2006-7 Board are:
- Michael Brandwein, Professional speaker
- Al Brennan, Young Innovations, Inc.
- Ben Haglund, Pitney Hardin
- Jerome Jenkins, Business owner
- Brad Kolar, University of Chicago Hospitals
- Paul Lisnek, Speaker & consultant
- JD Miller, Lexis Nexis
- Michael Novy, Centerra Wine Company
- Deborah Parker, McDonalds Corporation
- Cindy Raymond, Entertainment marketing & PR
- Lloyd Richards, Director of Football Operations, Houston Texans, NFL
- David Rittof, Modern Management, Inc.
- John Wright, Goodwin Wright Agency
- Norm Bilsbury, Management Consultant & Trainer