Dr. Kelvin Lane, President
Buffalo Grove, Illinois
Kelvin graduated from EIU in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in technology education. He was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated while at EIU in the Spring of 1977. In 1988 he obtained a Master of Arts in computer teacher education from Governor State University. He graduated from Roosevelt University in 1993 with a Master of Arts in administration and supervision. He obtained his Doctorate from Loyola University in curriculum and instruction.
He started his career in Education teaching industrial arts and then later computer technology in Wheeling, Illinois until 1993. Much of his career was dedicated to high school administration. His most recent role was the Coordinator of Student Discipline for the second largest School District in Illinois, Elgin U46, in 2009 until retirement in 2014. Kelvin has dedicated his career to helping students reach their full potential regardless of learning style in a safe and nurturing environment. He continues to consult with school districts, focusing on student life and discipline.
Randy Wright, Vice President
Houston, Texas
Randy graduated from EIU in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. After completing a master’s in business administration degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Randy began a career in healthcare administration on the staff of the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. In 1979 he moved to Houston to work for The Methodist Hospital. Over a 20-year period at Methodist he held various leadership roles including Administrator for the Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, Vice President over the for-profit programs of the hospital and then Senior Vice President responsible for the Hospital’s Diagnostic and Therapeutic programs. In 2000, Randy moved to Texas Children’s Hospital, the nation’s largest children’s hospital. He served in many different executive roles at TCH including Chief Information Officer, Acting Chief Financial Officer, President of the Texas Children’s Health Plan, and interim Administrator of the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. His major responsibility was as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and he retired from TCH in 2016.
Randy and his wife Brenda (Bachelor of Science in Education 1970) have strong ties to EIU particularly the Physics Department. They created endowed scholarships honoring Dr. Glenn Q Lefler who was Department Chaiman from 1950-1970 and for Dr. Bill Butler who was Department Chairman from 1970-1087. Brenda and Randy, along with Dr. P Scott Smith, a long serving faculty member, provided a significant part of the funding for the development of an Observatory to support the Astronomy program.
In 2004 Randy was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service for his support of EIU. In 2016 he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by the EIU Alumni Association. In 2017, Randy and his wife Brenda were honored by the EIU Foundation as Distinguished Philanthropist. Randy currently serves on the Board of the Children's Hospital of San Antonio Foundation and is a member of the M D Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors.
Bonita Tillman, Treasurer
St. Louis, Missouri
Bonita graduated from Eastern in 1980 with B.A. degrees in both Journalism and Political Science and a teaching certificate. After a brief stint as a substitute teacher, she spent 15 years as an editor and reporter for the Suburban Journals newspaper chain in the Metro-East communities of Granite City, Edwardsville, East St. Louis, and Belleville.
In 1996, she transferred her skills to a public relations position at Nestle’ Purina pet products company in St. Louis where she worked for 22 years. She retired in 2018 as Manager of Corporate Public Relations.
Since that time, Bonita started Aries Communications LLC and contributes regularly as a freelance writer to the St. Louis Business Journal and its affiliates in Tampa Bay and Orlando, Fla. She also continues to support the profession via the St. Louis Press Club and the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists where she has been treasurer for 10 years.
At Eastern, Bonita helped initiate the EIU Black Student Reunion celebration and served on the EIU Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2010 to 2019.
John Schmitt, Secretary
Chicago, Illinois
John D. Schmitt, EIU Alumnus. Graduated from EIU with a Bachelor of Arts, in ’76 and a Master of Arts in Political Science, in ’78. John served as a Graduate Assistant in the Political Science department during graduate school and assisted Dr. Peter Leigh and Dr. Charles Hollister. John was involved with Greek activities on campus through his involvement with his fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha of which he was a founding and charter member. John has been involved with the EIU Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity all throughout his alumni years having served as Chapter Advisor and as Treasurer and Secretary of the EIU Lambda Chi Alpha Alumni Association. John also served his International Fraternity serving as Chairman of the Alumni Advisory Board. The Lambda Chi Alpha International Fraternity awarded him the Order of Merit for Alumni Service in 1996. John is currently serving as the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity Foundations Chairman of the Founders Day of Giving Committe.
John spent 35 years working in Illinois Government, Not-for-Profits, Local Government, and Higher Education (State Senate, Department of Energy and Natural Resources, Department of Conservation, Office of Illinois Governor James R. Thompson). He participated in a trade mission to the former USSR and a mission to France. John also served as Executive Director of the Nature of Illinois Foundation and was the first Executive Director of the Illinois Conservation Foundation which raised over $16 million. His last position of over seven years was with his beloved Alma Mater Eastern Illinois University in which he served as the Director of Development/Philanthropy for the Chicagoland region.
John has been a long-time member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and served as President of the Chicago Chapter in 2012. The Chicago Chapter of AFP at the time was the largest Chapter with over 1,000 members.
John has been a long-standing member of the EIU Alumni Association and served on the Board of Directors from 1983-1986. He was awarded the EIU Alumni Association's Lou Hencken Alumni Service Award in 2004. He established the John D. Schmitt Scholarship which annually awards an officer of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at EIU. John has also been instrumental in leading to the creation of three other EIU scholarships benefiting undergraduate members of Lambda Alpha Chi: the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity Founders Scholarship, the Lambda Chi Alpha Scholastic Incentive Scholarship, and the Jack R. Kelly Scholarship. In 2022 John Schmitt was named the EIU Homecoming Parade Grand Marshal. In 2018 the EIU Foundation honored John Schmitt with the Outstanding Member Award.
Dr. Nathaniel Anderson
Belleville, Illinois
Nate Anderson has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Eastern Illinois University dating back to the 1970s. Known as "Nate the Great," Anderson played on the Panther football team as a running back and held numerous rushing records while attending EIU. In 1973, he was named first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. Graduating in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation, he continued his education at his alma mater and later earned a Master of Science in Education in 1977 from Eastern. Anderson earned his Specialist in Education degree from Southeast Missouri State University in 1991 and his doctorate in Educational Administration from Illinois State University in 1998.
He has spent over 25 years working in educational administration, offering expertise and guidance within large community districts, being employed as a principal at Rock Island High School and a superintendent of the East St. Louis school district. He has worked at the University of Illinois-Springfield, teaching educational leadership courses at the graduate level. Throughout the years, Nate Anderson has served EIU in many capacities. He has devoted time through service on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, Educational Administration Advisory Committee, and the University Board of Trustees as both a member and board chair. He also has been a member of the Panther Club. The Nate Anderson Scholarship was established in 2004 in his honor and as a testament to his beliefs in education and improving services for children.
Joe Dively
Charleston, Illinois
Joe currently has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Mid Bancshares, Inc. in Mattoon Illinois since 2014. First Mid is a $7.6 billion community-focused organization that provides financial services including banking, insurance, wealth management, brokerage, and ag services through a network of locations in Illinois, Missouri, Texas, and Wisconsin. Prior to joining First Mid, he served 20 years as the Senior Vice President of Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc., a telecommunications company, also in Mattoon. His early career included sales and marketing positions at Caterpillar and IBM.
Joe previously served EIU as president of the Alumni Association, chair of the Business School Advisory Board, member of the Foundation Board, and chair/member of the Board of Trustees. He has been an active member of the business community, serving as chair of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, chair of the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System, and president of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce. Joe earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from EIU in 1981. He was honored in 2003 with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the EIU Alumni Association, was named Outstanding Philanthropist in 2010 by the EIU Foundation and in 2024 was awarded an EIU Honorary Doctorate of Public Service.
Dr. Mitchell Gurick
San Francisco, California
Mitchell Gurick is a member of the HR staff at OpenAI, dedicated to fostering a people-centric culture and driving organizational growth. Prior to joining OpenAI, Mitch spent nine years at Google in various roles within People Operations, where he collaborated with cross-functional teams and leadership to develop and implement a comprehensive people strategy. Mitch graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Education in 2015. He holds a master’s degree in Organization Development from the University of San Francisco and completed his PhD in Global Leadership and Change at Pepperdine University in 2024. While at EIU, Mitch served as the Student Trustee on the Board of Trustees and was an active member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He was honored with the prestigious Livingston C. Lord Scholarship from the EIU Alumni Association and the EIU Foundation.
Robert Glover
Dallas, Texas
Robert F. Glover graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Political Science. While at Eastern, Bob was a Student Senator and was elected twice to Student Body President in 1980 thru 1982. Bob received the Outstanding Senior Award in 1982 for his leadership to create the Student Legal Service, Grade Appeals Policy, Athletic Fee Referendum and many other achievements. Bob was a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board from 2002 thru 2008. Bob has endowed two Eastern scholarships, the Glover Student Leadership award and the Gerardo Solis Latino/Latina Scholarship award. In 2005, Bob received the Distinguished Alumnus Award and in 2008 the inaugural Political Science Distinguished Alumni award. He was on the EIU Alumni Association Board of Directors and a Steering Committee Member for the EI&U Campaign in 2010. Bob was the Eastern Commencement Speaker for the fall semester in 2007. Since graduation, Bob was a Vice President with Cardinal Health for over 30 years and in 2018, joined TIDI Products as Senior Director, Health Systems as part of the RoundTable Health Partners private equity firm in Lake Forest, IL. Bob has received several national customer and company awards for his service, contract negotiation and mentoring.
Dawn Johnson
Ballwin, Missouri
Dawn graduated from EIU with a BA in Journalism in 1983. She is a litigation lawyer at Greensfelder, Hemker, and Gale, PC. – St. Louis, Missouri. As head of the firm’s Franchising and Distribution Industry Group, Dawn leads a team of transactional and litigation attorneys who represent clients nationally and internationally. Her practice focuses on all aspects of the dealer, distributor and franchise relationship, including termination and non-renewal, claims under state and federal relationship laws and claims such as breach of contract, fraud, tortious interference, antitrust pricing, and trademark infringement. Dawn has significant appellate experience and is co-leader of the appellate practice within the firm. She handles appeals and works closely with other trial lawyers in the firm to ensure that issues are properly preserved for appeal. She has argued before the Missouri Supreme Court and the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern and Western Districts, the Illinois Court of Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Before attending law school, Dawn was an award-winning reporter for the Herald & Review daily newspaper in Decatur, Illinois. After graduating from Washington University School of Law, she continued her writing experience as a law clerk to U.S. Magistrate Judge David D. Noce in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, from 1993 to 1997.
Ms. Johnson is active within her community, having served on the Board of Directors for Safe Connections from 2015 to the present; College Summit Missouri Site Advisory Board, 2012-present, Chair, 2015-present; Gateway Legal Services, Inc., Board of Directors, 2008 to the present; and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, Board of Governors, 2002-2004.
Dr. Patricia Poulter
Conway, Arkansas
Patricia is an alumna of EIU having graduated with a Bachelor in Music Education in 1982 and a Masters in Conducting in 1983. She later attended the University of Illinois where she completed an Ed.D in Music in 1997. Following graduating from EIU, Patricia taught public school music in St. Paul, Minnesota before returning to her alma mater as a professor of music education in 1994. She taught a broad range of methods courses for music education majors of all emphases, as well as choral arranging, chamber singers and class voice, and also served as the coordinator of music education student teaching. While at EIU, Patricia enjoyed a rich administration career with appointments that included Chair of the Department of Student Teaching and Clinical Experiences, Interim Chair of the Journalism Department, and finally, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. Patricia left EIU in 2013 to serve as Dean of the College of Arts at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. She recently retired as the Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Central Arkansas, a position she held since 2018. Patricia was honored to serve at the Inauguration of Dr. Gatrell where she used her vocal skills to perform EIU’s “Alma Mater”.
