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  • L&C Board of Trustees

    An elected seven-member Board of Trustees governs L&C. Beyond its management responsibilities, the board is a driving force behind L&C's innovation and creativity. It provides an atmosphere where entrepreneurial thinking can flourish and fosters partnerships with businesses, other schools, government agencies and community organizations.

    Questions, comments, concerns or inquiries for members of the Board can be sent to board@lc.edu.

    Meet the Board Members

    Julie Johnson

    Julie Johnson, Chairperson

    Julie Johnson, of Edwardsville, joined the L&C Board of Trustees in 2019. Johnson is a retired CPA. She received an associate degree in Accounting from Lincoln Land Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and a Master's in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis. After working as auditor for KPMG in St. Louis, she was an auditor and accounting manager at Maritz, Inc. in Fenton. After caring for her three children, she now assists with accounting work for various not-for-profits and her family’s businesses, which are located in southern Illinois. Johnson grew up on a dairy farm in Nokomis, Illinois and still helps her husband’s family farm there. She currently lives on a cattle farm near Hamel and is a member and volunteer at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hamel.

    Rust_Kevin

    Kevin Rust, Secretary

    Kevin Rust, of Glen Carbon, joined the L&C Board of Trustees in 2019. Rust was raised on a dairy farm near Bunker Hill. He attended Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE) earning an accounting degree and master’s degree in Business Administration. Rust retired as a financial advisor, previously serving in increasingly responsible financial roles in private industry including Chief Financial Officer. His career designations included Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor. Rust currently serves on the SIUE Foundation Board of Directors as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee. He is an active Rotarian and is a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church serving as an usher and elder.

    Dr. Jill Griffin

    Dr. Jill Griffin

    Dr. Jill Griffin, a Bethalto native, was appointed by the Board in November 2022 to fill a trustee vacancy through April 2023. She holds a doctorate in education and has been superintendent of the Bethalto School District for the past seven years, having served as assistant superintendent and curriculum director in the district during the six years prior. Her extensive career in education has also included roles such as building principal, classroom teacher, reading specialist and a softball coach. In addition to the L&C Board, Griffin currently serves as vice president of the Southwest Region Illinois Association of School Administrators (SWIASA).

    Larry Trent

    Larry G. Trent

    Larry Trent, of Rosewood Heights, joined the Board of Trustees in 2021. Born in Alton, he is a graduate of Roxana High School, Belleville Area College, McKendree University, the F.B.I. Executive Institute, Illinois State Police Academy and the University of Louisville Police Institute. He is a decorated veteran of combat operations in Vietnam, where he served as helicopter crew chief and door gunner. Trent spent 28 years with the Illinois State Police, starting as a patrol trooper in Chicago, homicide investigator and numerous command officer positions. He ultimately became the director of the Illinois State Police for six years. He has also served as the president of the River Bend Growth Association, Vice President of Argosy Gaming Company and Intelligence Liaison for the Department of Homeland Security. He is retired and is an active member of Rosewood Heights Community Church as well as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Fraternal Order of Police, Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

    BrendaWalkerMcCain

    Brenda Walker McCain

    Brenda Walker McCain joined the Board of Trustees in 1999. She also is the CEO of the Madison County Urban League and has been employed there for 40 years. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Greenville College. McCain gives back to the community by serving on a variety of other boards including the Madison/Bond County Workforce Investment Board, Madison County Emergency Food & Shelter Board, Riverbend Headstart and Family Services Board, WellSpring Resource Center Board and Madison County Community Development Advisory Board.

    Donna Ware

    Donna Ware

    Donna Ware, of Alton, was appointed in March 2023 to fill a trustee vacancy through April 2025. She holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis. She currently works as an Executive Director of Planning and Design with BJC HealthCare, with more than 30 years in architecture, and periodically teaches a graduate-level seminar for architecture students at Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design on designing healthcare environments. Ware is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), has served on the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo Advisory Board since 2014 and has been on the ACE Mentor Program’s Board of Directors, St. Louis Chapter, since 2018.

    DwightWerts

    Dwight Werts

    Dwight Werts joined the Board of Trustees in 2009. He is the president of Werts Welding & Tank Service in Wood River. After graduating from Roxana High School, Werts earned his Associate in Science from Lewis and Clark Community College. Werts is a RiverBend Growth Association member who also serves as a board member on the finance board at St. Anthony’s Hospital. He is vice president of the Marquette High School Foundation and a board member of both the Lewis and Clark Foundation and the Southern Illinois Employers Association.

    Joel Barker

    Student Trustee, Joel Barker

    Joel Barker, of Bethalto, graduated from Civic Memorial High School in 2019 before enrolling at L&C. Currently working on his Associate in Science degree, Joel is president of the Lewis and Clark's Gaming Club and a member of the L&C Gardening Club and the Literary Club. He likes the close-knit community at Lewis and Clark and through his involvement with clubs, Joel appreciates the encouragement and responsibility provided to our students. After L&C, Joel plans to transfer to SIUE to pursue a career in computer science and hopes eventually to work in artificial intelligence programming. In his spare time, Joel enjoys musicals, reading and playing games with friends.