New Members of the Board of Trustees Elected

11/01/2017 12:45 PM

Five new members were elected to the Bradley University Board of Trustees at the October board meeting. According to Bradley President Gary Roberts, all five new Board members have close ties to and deep affection for Bradley.  “Our new members have a great fondness for the University, but even more importantly, they all recognize and are committed to furthering the important role that Bradley plays in preparing young men and women to become the leaders of tomorrow in our community, our region, and the nation.”

Outgoing chairman, Doug Stewart MBA ’79, said the wealth of industry expertise these new members will bring is of great benefit to the university. “We have people with proficiency in education, business, healthcare and more,” he said. “Higher education continues to be challenged as an industry and with these new trustees, Bradley is very well positioned going forward.” 

Inga Carus serves as chair of Carus Group Inc. in LaSalle, Illinois, which provides innovative environmental solutions to help customers meet or exceed their business objectives. Prior to her becoming chair in 2013, Carus served as president from 2005 until 2013 and as CEO from 2005 until 2016. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and an MBA, both from the University of Chicago.

Anne Edwards-Cotter is president of Cotter Consulting, Inc., the Chicago-based company she founded in 1990. Cotter Consulting provides comprehensive program management, project management, and construction management services. Edwards-Cotter earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Bradley in 1977 and has served the university as a member of the Civil Engineering and Construction Advisory Board.  She was student body president in 1976-1977 and was an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees at that time as well.

Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat is the superintendent of Peoria Public Schools. She received her bachelor’s degree from Bradley in 1986 and her master’s in 1989. Desmoulin-Kherat has held a variety of positions in the Peoria area, including middle school teacher, assistant principal, principal, as well as an adjunct instructor at Bradley.  

Kevin Schoeplein recently retired as CEO of OSF Healthcare System and vice chairman of the Boards of OSF Healthcare in Peoria. Schoeplein has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. Louis University and two master’s degrees from Xavier University. He is also the parent of a Bradley graduate.

Debbie Simon is the Regional CEO of UnityPoint Health. She began her career as a nurse with Methodist Hospital in 1976, and after 34 years of service and leadership, became president and CEO in 2011. Simon has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Illinois, is a Wharton Nurse Executive Fellow and a Henry Crown Leadership Fellow from the Aspen Institute. She earned her MBA from Bradley in 1989

These new members will officially begin their roles in February 2018.  For more information on the current members of the Bradley Board trustees, visit the Office of the President page online.