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Thompson cabinet, staff continue to change

Two long-time members of Gov. James R. Thompson's administration resigned in December: Ann Kiley, director of the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (DMHDD) since February 1896, and Susan S. Suter, director of the Department of Public Aid (DPA) since October 1988 and former director of the Department of Rehabilitation Services.

Prior to taking the helm of DMHDD, Kiley served as assistant to the director and as associate director of the Department of Public Aid from April 1984 to January 1986. Before that she was with the Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities, first as a planner (1978-79) and later as its executive director (1982-84).

Assuming the duties of acting DMHDD director is William Murphy, who will also continue to serve as the department's associate director for developmental disabilities, a post he has held since 1983. Murphy joined the agency in 1963 and has held a number of positions, including superintendent of the Jacksonville Developmental Center (1974-81) and assistant superintendent of the McFarland Zone Center in Springfield (1969-74).

Suter, a candidate for state comptroller, resigned her post with DPA to devote more time to her campaign. Director of the Department of Rehabilitation Services from 1984-88, she served briefly as commissioner of special education and rehabilitative services for the U.S. Department of Education.

Replacing Suter at DPA was Kathleen Breidert Kustra of Des Plaines. She had been assistant director of the agency since March 1987. From 1983-86, Kustra was assistant to Illinois House Minority Leader Lee A. Daniels (R-46, Elmhurst). Prior to that she spent two years (1980-82) as executive assistant to U.S. Rep. John E. Porter (R-10, Winnetka).

Thompson also named Steven D. McClure permanent director of the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) in December. McClure had been serving as acting director since the departure of Jay Hedges in November. He has been with the agency since 1983.

Named to serve as McClure's executive assistant, effective January 16, was Eric Watson, the governor's director of scheduling for the preceding six months. He has been in state government since December 1984.

Taking over Watson's duties in January was Rhonda Miner. She had been assistant director of scheduling since 1986.

Lake County's Foreman nominated to replace Valukas as U.S. attorney

Fred Foreman, Lake County state's attorney since 1980, was U.S. House Minority Leader Robert Michel's (R-18, Peoria) top choice to replace Anton Valukas as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Valukas resigned December 3 to return to private practice with Jenner & Block, the law firm he left in April 1985 to accept the federal prosecutor's post.

Foreman, a graduate of John Marshall Law School, is the youngest person ever to serve as state's attorney in Lake County. He is a past assistant state's attorney and has also served as an assistant public defender.

Valukas served as an assistant U.S. attorney under now Gov. James R. Thompson in the early 1970s, later rising to first assistant U.S. attorney under then top prosecutor Samuel Skinner, who is currently U.S. transportation secretary. Valukas joined Jenner & Block in 1976.

While in office, Valukas successfully prosecuted a number of high-profile cases, including many of those arising out of Operation Greylord. A record $116 million fine resulted from his prosecution of the Rockford-based Sundstrand Corp. for fraud in defense contracting. Valukas also was behind the August 1989 indictments of 46 people for illicit trading at the Chicago Board of Trade and Mercantile Exchange.

Foreman's nomination must be approved by President George Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Until that time, Ira Rathaelson is serving as interim U.S. attorney.

10 Illinois schools to be restructured for national education project

Illinois is one of six states participating in a national project aimed at improving student learning through restructuring of the total school system. Re: Learning, coordinated by the Education Commission of the States, is encouraging participating schools to focus on two areas: the primary purpose of schooling, i.e., helping all students learn to use their minds well, and the total education system from schoolhouse to statehouse.

The 10 Illinois schools that are participating, along with a coalition of education organizations and government bodies, comprise the Illinois Alliance of Essential Schools. The alliance has formulated nine principles along which the schools will tailor their restructuring:

• intellectual focus — students should learn to use their minds well;

• simple goals — students should master a limited number of essential skills and areas of knowledge;

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• universal goals — goals should apply to all students and school practices should be tailored to meet the needs of varying groups;

• personalization — target of no more than 80 students per teacher should be pursued and decisions concerning curriculum, teaching materials, etc., must be made by principal and staff only;

• student-as-worker — student bears responsibility for learning with teacher as coach;

• diploma by exhibition — students must successfully demonstrate mastery of central skills and knowledge;

• attitude — unanxious expectation, trust and decency should be stressed with parents enlisted as collaborators;

• staff — principal and teachers should be generalists first and specialists second; and

• budget — targeted areas include student-to-teacher ratio, time for collective staff planning, competitive salaries and per-pupil cost no more than 10 percent above that of traditional schools.

The 10 schools are geographically representative of the state and have made a five-year commitment to the alliance. They include Anna-Jonesboro High School in Anna, Broadmoor Junior High School in Pekin, Calumet High School in Chicago, Carpentersville Middle School in Dundee, Elmwood Junior/Senior High School in Elmwood, Lake Park High School in Roselle, Malta Junior/Senior High School in Malta, North Middle School in Alton, Sparta High School in Sparta and Sullivan High School in Chicago.

Other members of the alliance include the State Board of Education, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Office of the Governor, the Illinois Education Association, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Association of School Administrators, the Illinois Association of School Boards, the Illinois Principals Association, the University of Illinois and the General Assembly.

The effort is being funded by The Joyce Foundation of Chicago and Southwestern Bell Foundation.

Carlson new CHIP director

Richard W. Carlson has been named the first executive director of the state's Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan (CHIP). He was the unanimous choice of the plan's board of directors. Carlson, whose appointment was effective December 1, had been assistant director of the Illinois Department of Insurance since August 1981.

Prior to joining the Department of Insurance, Carlson served as superintendent of the Illinois State Lottery for four years. From 1969-77, he was a staff consultant to the Illinois Senate's Revenue Committee.

The CHIP program provides health insurance for Illinois citizens who are unable to obtain such insurance elsewhere at any cost. The program was initially scheduled to start operations in April 1988, but because of the legislature's refusal to appropriate funds at that time, the program's start-up was delayed.

Six appointed to Professional Regulation committees

Robert C. Thompson, acting director of the Department of Professional Regulation, recently made appointments to the following agency committees. The committees serve in an advisory capacity to the department's director.

Public Accountant Registration Committee: Steven F. Rosenbaum of Oak Lawn. He has been executive vice president and chief operating officer for Prospect Federal Savings Bank in Lombard since 1987. Prior to that, he was with the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce. Rosenbaum filled an existing vacancy on the 7-member board. He will serve until November 1, 1993.

Private Detective and Private Security Board: Arlington Heights resident Barry W. Levy. Levy, who is currently director of planning, research and development for the Cook County Sheriffs Office, replaced Vincent Ruffolo on the 9-member board. His term expires May 8, 1993.

Professional Engineering Examining Committee: Charies C. Wilkin of Springfield. Wilkin is currently chief engineer/department head/principal engineer for Ralph Hahn and Associates Inc. He filled a vacancy on the 9-member committee; his term expires November 1, 1992.

Funeral Directors and Embalmers Licensing and Disciplinary Board: Freeport resident Steven T. Turner. He is currently co-owner of Walker Mortuary Ltd. and is a past president of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association. He replaced Robert Tezak on the 7-member board and will serve until November 7, 1993.

Committee of Nursing: Jane A. Ralph of Edinburg. She has been director of St. John's School of Nursing in Springfield since 1984. Ralph filled a vacancy on the 7-member board; her term expires November 1, 1992.

The Judiciary

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the following appointments, assignments and resignations:

Illinois Judicial Conference

• Reappointed by the high court to the executive committee: Cook County Circuit Court Judge William Cousins of Chicago and 13th Judicial Circuit Judge Alexander T. Bower of

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Ottawa. Cousins will serve as chairman and Bower as vice chairman of the committee. Illinois Courts Commission

• Reappointed by the Illinois Appellate Court: As members, Appellate Judges Francis S. Lorenz of Chicago (1st District) and Allan Stouder of Kankakee (3rd District). As alternate members, David Linn of Chicago (1 st District) and Frederick S. Green of Urbana (4th District).

Marshal of the Supreme Court

• Appointed by the high court: Carolyn D, Taitt of Rochester, effective November 29, 1989. The first woman to ever serve in this post, she succeeded Louie Dean who retired in October after holding the position for nearly 14 years. Taitt had been an administrative assistant in the marshal's office since 1977.

Illinois Appellate Court

• Selected chairman by his fellow appellate judges: 5th District Appellate Judge Henry Lewis of McLeansboro.

1st District Appellate Court

• Assigned to appellate duty: Retired Circuit Judge Joseph Gordon of Chicago, effective December 19, 1989, through December 3, 1990.

Cook County Circuit Judge Thomas R. Rakowski of Chicago, effective December 1, 1989, through December 3, 1990.

• Resigned: R. Eugene Pincham of Chicago, effective December 6, 1989. He had been an appellate judge since 1984. Prior to that he spent eight years as a circuit judge.

William R. Quinlan of Chicago, effective November 2, 1989. An active member of the Illinois Judicial Conference, he had been a judge since 1980, serving first as a circuit judge and, since 1985, as an appellate judge.

2nd District Appellate Court

• Assigned to duty: Fred A. Geiger of Libertyville, a circuit judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit, effective December 4, 1989, and until further order of the court.

5th District Appellate Court

• Assigned to duty: Retired Circuit Judge Henry Lewis of Carmi, effective December 1, 1989, and until further order of the court.

Cook County Judicial Circuit

• Retired: Associate Judge Robert R. Wooldridge of Chicago, effective December 8, 1989. He had been a judicial officer since 1981.

6th Judicial Circuit

• Resigned: Creed D. Tucker of Urbana, effective December 15, 1989. He had been a judge since 1966.

7th Judicial Circuit

• Will not seek retention in office: Claude J. Davis of Jerseyville and John W. Russell of Carlinville. Both will leave office December 3, 1990. Davis has been a judge since 1984. Russell, a judicial officer since 1977, is a former chief judge.

9th Judicial Circuit

• Selected chief judge by fellow circuit judges: Stephen G. Evans of Oquawka. He succeeds William Randolph.

10th Judicial Circuit

• Assigned to duty: Robert E. Hunt of Peoria, effective December 5, 1989, through December 3, 1990.

• Resigned: Effective December 3, 1990, Richard E. Eagleton of Peoria. A former chief judge of the 10th circuit, he has been a judge since 1970.

13th Judicial Circuit

• Appointed as associate judge by circuit judges: Robert H. Adcock, an attorney from Morris.

14th Judicial Circuit

• Resigned: L.E. Ellison of Rock Island, effective December 3, 1990. Currently chief judge of the 14th circuit, Ellison has been a judge since 1974.

17th Judicial Circuit

• Selected chief judge by fellow circuit judges: Harris H. Agnew of Rockford. A previous chief judge of the circuit, Agnew succeeds David F. Smith.

18th Judicial Circuit

• Selected chief judge by fellow circuit judges: Anthony M. Peccarelli of Wheaton. He succeeds Carl Henninger.

Walsh succeeds Gibson as head of state AFL-CIO

Outgoing Illinois AFL-CIO president Robert Gibson recommended that Richard Walsh of Springfield replace him at the helm of the state's largest labor organization when Gibson retired December 6. The executive board of the one million member organization agreed unanimously. Walsh had served as the group's secretary-treasurer since 1987.

Walsh said the state AFL-CIO must follow the example set by the national organization in recruiting independent unions. While he acknowledges that the last decade has presented organized labor with severe challenges — largely associated with economic changes that led to a decrease in industrial jobs — he believes that labor groups have made significant gains in Illinois.

Elected secretary-treasurer of the state AFL-CIO in February 1987, Walsh had served the preceding 12 years as the group's legislative and political director. Prior to that he was legislative director for the state's Department of Labor. Walsh is a member of American Federation of Teachers Local 4438.

Chosen by the executive board to replace Walsh as secretary-treasurer was Donald Johnson. The former executive secretary of the West Central Building and Construction Trades Council was most recently director of the state AFL-CIO's legislative/COPE (Committee on Political Education) office. A former resident

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of Quincy, Johnson, now of Springfield, is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 34.

Golden Corridor Government League organized

Nine governmental units located in and around Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates have come together to form the Golden Corridor Government League. The league, which was established to "foster an ongoing dialogue and determine solutions to mutual concerns of participating governmental units in the area," was the brainchild of Richard M. Hetzer, a Schaumburg Township trustee.

League participants include Schaumburg Township, the villages of Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg, school districts 54, 211 and 512, the Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg park districts and the Schaumburg Township district library. Representatives from these units of government, who met for the first time in November, plan to meet four times a year to discuss such topics as business and industry networking, community information and changes, legislation, taxes, transportation, youth services and the needs of senior citizens.

The league's charter members include Gerald Chapman, associate superintendent of School District 211 in Palatine, Ed Haag, executive director of the Hoffman Estates Park District, Jerry Handlon. executive director of the Schaumburg Park District, Vicky Harms, president of the Schaumburg Community Consolidated School District 54. Al L. Larson, president of the Village of Schaumburg, Vern Laubenstein, Schaumburg Township supervisor, Michael Madden, executive director of the Schaumburg Township District Library, William McLeod, Village of Hoffman Estates trustee, and Paul Thompson, president of School District 512.

Madigan elected to board of national arts organization

The chairman of the Illinois Arts Council, Shirley R. Madigan, was elected to the board of directors of the National Assembly of States Arts Agencies (NASAA) in November during the group's annual meeting. She will serve a three-year term. Madigan has chaired the Illinois Arts Council since 1983.

NASAA is a nonprofit organization representing arts agencies in the 50 states and six special U.S. jurisdictions. It provides professionals in these agencies with a forum for information exchange and issue development. It also offers various professional development opportunities.

Backlund, Schierl reelected to Federal Reserve Bank board

B.F. "Chip" Backlund, chairman and chief executive officer of Bartonville Bank, and Paul J. Schierl, chairman and chief executive officer of the Fort Howard Corp. of Green Bay, Wis., were reelected by member commercial banks to second three-year terms on the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's board of directors.

Backlund is chairman and/or president of a number of banks and trust companies, including Dunlap and Glasford state banks in Peoria County, Quincy's State Street Bank and Trust Company and the Wyoming (Ill.) Bank and Trust Company. He is also president of Community Bankers Mutual Fund Inc. of Denver, Colo. A past president of the Illinois Bankers Association and the Independent Bankers Association of America, Backlund served as a presidential delegate and commissioner to the White House Conference on Small Business in 1986.

Schierl serves as president and director of the Fort Howard Foundation, a philanthropic organization separate from the corporation. He also serves on the board of directors for the American Paper Institute Inc. and for the Green Bay Packers football team.

The board is responsible for managing the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank's operations, and it acts on the bank's discount rate. As an advisory body concerning the region's economic conditions, the board also contributes to the formulation of U.S. monetary policy.

The federal bank in Chicago is one of 12 reserve banks that comprise the nation's central banking system. It serves the major portion of the five-state Seventh Federal Reserve District covering Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Seamon to direct national literacy efforts

Joan Yeaton Seamon was appointed director of the adult education and literacy division of the U.S. Department of Education by Education Secy. Lauro P. Cavazos. The division provides a wide range of adult education programs, including literacy programs and those for teaching English as a second language. Seamon had directed Illinois' literacy efforts within Secy. of State Jim Edgar's office since 1984.

Other appointments

• Named by Gov. Thompson to serve as his special assistant for minority affairs in November was Teresa Miles of Chicago. The first woman to be appointed to the post, she succeeds Patrick Barclay, who left state government for a position with Ariel Capital Management Inc. Prior to joining the governor's office. Miles was involved in a number of educational projects and activities at Chicago's Abraham Lincoln School. The former registered nurse will earn $35,000 annually.

Joseph J. Shallcross is the new pressident and chief executive officer of Midway Aircraft Engineering (MAE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Midway Airlines. The appointment was made in November by Jeffrey H. Erickson, president and chief operating officer of the Chicago-based airline. Shallcross is responsible for managing and operating Midway's maintenance facility for Midway's fleet of 42 aircraft. MAE also has contractual maintenance agreements with other air carriers and with the U.S. government. It is located adjacent to the Miami (Fla.) International Airport. Prior to joining MAE, Shallcross was vice president and general manager of Intertec Aviation in Good-year, Ariz. He has also held management positions with Frontier and Northwest airlines.

Charles H. Knittle fills the newly created position of vice president for governmental affairs for Montgomery Ward & Co. The former associate general counsel is responsible for all federal, state and local government activities affecting the company. Knittle joined Montgomery Ward in 1968 as a tax representative. In 1974, he joined the legal department where he served in several posts.

Boyd receives Charles Frankel award

Willard "Sandy" Boyd, president of Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, was one of five recipients of the first Charles Frankel prizes in November. The awards, which are administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities, honor Americans who have made exceptional contributions in making history, literature and philosophy accessible to mass audiences. Each recipient received a $5,000 stipend. Boyd gave his prize money to the Field museum.

Boyd has been with the Field museum since 1981. He has a long association with the University of Iowa where he joined its law school in 1954. In 1969 he became president of the university and retains the title of president emeritus.

Charles Frankel, who died in 1979, was a former Columbia University professor, a U.S. assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs and the first president of the National Humanities Center.


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