Governors State University welcomes new trustees
Alumna and former JJC President Judy Mitchell among new leaders
By Zion Banks, Editor
Governors State University (GovState) welcomes three new members to the Board of Trustees, bringing to the board extensive experience and expertise in collaborative decision-making and agreement building, finance management, and higher education administration. Additionally, two of the three new trustees have connections to GovState.
Dr. Judy Mitchell, President of Judy Mitchell Consulting, is President Emerita of Joliet Junior College where she served for nearly 30 years in a variety of roles. Mitchell was appointed president in 2016, and after retiring in 2022, parlayed her three decades of experience in higher education to launch her consulting firm. She continues passion of higher ed helping others to create innovative, intentional strategies for the betterment of higher education, corporate, and non-profit organizations.
Her roles include Interim Vice President of Administrative Affairs for Oakton College, and Interim CEO/President of Romeoville Area Chamber of Commerce. Under her leadership Joliet Junior College earned the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.
Mitchell earned bachelor’s degree in business and technology in 2002 followed by a master’s degree in business administration from GovState. She holds an educational doctorate from National Louis University.
Frances Kao is an attorney, independent arbitrator and mediator who specializes in complex commercial and real estate disputes and franchising issues, as well as oil and gas issues. She is a Circuit Court of Cook County mediator and certified commercial arbitrator and has spent 20 years at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP., a major international law firm. Before retiring from Skadden, Kao served as a specialist in international arbitration, complex business litigation and corporate/white collar investigations.
Kao, fluent in Mandarin, is a highly sought speaker who serves on a number of boards, which includes the City Club of Chicago. She earned a juris doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law with Order of the Coif and honorary scholastic society, and earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell College (Iowa) in special studies with high honors.
Angie Zuniga is Chief Strategy Officer at Illiana Financial Credit Union who brings more than 25 years’ experience in the industry, leading transactional operations as well as the marketing and asset recovery departments. Additionally, Zuniga leads the development, facilitation, and communication of strategic initiatives and goals for the financial institution which offers a range of financial products and services, including savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit, loans, and Visa credit cards.
In 2022, Zuniga was named to the Governors State Foundation Board of Trustees to support the University’s mission and advance fundraising. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Phoenix, and a designation of Certified Credit Union Executive (CCUE), reflecting expertise in operations, strategic planning, and leadership.
New trustees will serve six-year terms with the exception of Mitchell who will complete the remainder of former Trustee John Brudnak whose term expires in 2029.
All three trustees were appointed in March by Governor JB Pritzker and are expected to be confirmed by the Senate.
Board Chair Jim Kvedaras welcomed the new trustees, expressing enthusiasm about leveraging their specialized knowledge, as the Board seeks a new president to lead the University.
"We're fortunate to have trustees with extensive experience across diverse fields who will enrich our discussions," he said.