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 Trustees
Dwight Werts, Chair
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.
Larry G. Trent, Vice Chair
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.
Dr. Jill Griffin, Secretary
Dr. Jill Griffin, a Bethalto native, joined the Board in November 2022. 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).
Donna Ware, Vice Secretary
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.
Brian Campbell
Brian Campbell joined the L&C Board of Trustees in April 2023. He is a lifelong resident of the Alton-Godfrey area and co-owner of Colman's Country Campers and 5 Diamond Campground in Hartford. A graduate of Alton’s Marquette Catholic High School, Campbell completed his postsecondary educational studies in economics, receiving his degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He has served as Alton’s 1st Ward as its council member and as well as several other community organization boards. He and his wife Elizabeth have a daughter and three sons.
Tammy Smith-Williams
Tammy Smith-Williams, of Alton, was elected to the Board in April 2025. She is a 1986 graduate of Alton High School. She also attended Lewis and Clark Community College and received a Certified Nursing Assistance License. She retired on May 1, 2023, from Alton Mental Health Center after working full-time for 29 years. She is a former fourth ward Alderwoman for the City of Alton. She is currently volunteering as an Intake Specialist for Madison County Urban League in Alton. Smith-Williams founded A Precious Organization for Sickle Cell, a community-based organization aimed at getting information, tools and resources needed for the management of sickle cell to individuals living with this disease and their caregivers. She partnered with the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Illinois and has helped hundreds of families here in our community. She is married to Eric Williams and has five adult children, two adult stepchildren, and 18 grandchildren.
Abigail Eilerman
Dr. Abigail Eilerman is a graduate of Jersey Community High School. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy. Eilerman is an Assistant Professor and Section Head of Pharmacology at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in Alton. Prior to joining the School of Dental Medicine in 2020, she practiced as a specialty pharmacist and managed a Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy in Springfield, Illinois. She continues to work as a specialty pharmacist with Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy and as a pharmacist with the Washington University School of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases in St. Louis. Eilerman serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Illinois Rural Health Association and is a member of the Illinois Pharmacists Association. She lives in Jerseyville with her husband, Jeff, and their four children.
Jim Eck, Student Trustee
Jim Eck, of Grafton, joined the Lewis and Clark Board of Trustees as the student representative in April 2025. He is currently working toward his associate degree in nursing and plans to graduate in May 2026. His long-term goals are to serve patients with mental health challenges, work in hospice, or assist with geriatric patients. Eck has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and is a former president of Dominion Energy Ohio and West Virginia (2017-2022). He is also a trustee of New Piasa Chautauqua Church Assembly, an ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation volunteer and a Summer Sunday School Teacher.