Baurer Looks Forward to Starting Work on EIU Board of Trustees

For its second consecutive meeting, the Eastern Illinois University Board of Trustees will come together with a new member among those sitting at the table.

Minier resident Barbara Baurer’s appointment by Gov. Bruce Rauner to serve on the eight-member board goes into effect immediately, although approval from the Illinois Senate is still needed to make it formal.

(BARBARA BAURER)

“I’m excited and honored to be named as a trustee of Eastern Illinois University,” Baurer said. “It’s an interesting time to be serving on the board, what with the changes that are taking place at the university and everything that is going on, budget-wise, with the state.

“We are in need of strong leaders and I look forward to working with the other members of the board, many of whom I’ve had the opportunity to work with in the past and for whom I have the utmost respect.”

Baurer, who earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from EIU in 1975 and her master’s degree in business administration a year later, recently retired from Country Financial where she held the position of chief operating officer since 1999. She also served in various positions including vice president and general manager of the property and casualty companies. Prior to that, she served as vice president of information services.

She furthered her education, earning three insurance designations: the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU). She was a member of the Board and Executive Committee of the American Institute for CPCU and is past chair of the Griffith Insurance Education Foundation. In addition, Baurer was named a 2004 Woman of Distinction by the YWCA of McLean County (Ill.). She was named one of Illinois’ Most Powerful and Influential Women of 2010 and 2011 by the National Diversity Council.

She is a former member and past chair of the EIU College of Business Advisory Board and received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Eastern in 2006.  She also received an honorary degree from Eastern in 2015.

Baurer replaces Kristopher M. Goetz of Lombard, whose term expired earlier this year.  He had served on the BOT since being appointed by then-Governor Pat Quinn in October 2011.

Current board members include Timothy Burke of Evanston; Daniel Caulkins of Decatur; Joseph R. Dively of Charleston; Jan Spivey Gilchrist of Olympia Fields; Carl Mito of Arlington Heights; and Phillip (P.J.) Thompson Jr. of Belleville (appointed in January).  Maralea Negron of Elgin is the BOT’s student representative.