ICCTA Certificate of Merit

After retiring as the longest-serving president in the history of the Illinois Senate, Phil Rock was appointed to the Illinois Board of Higher Education in 1997. From 1998 to 2002, he served as IBHE chair and sought to extend financial aid programs to part-time and summer-school students. Also during his tenure, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education cited Illinois as the nation's best higher education system in its "Measuring Up 2000" report card.

Senator Rock has returned to private practice with the law firm Rock Fusco & Garvey, Ltd., and serves on various civic and educational boards.

A former public school teacher, Judy Erwin spent 14 years as Senator Rock's communication director before serving 10 years in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1992 to 2002. As chair of the House Higher Education Committee, she supported the transfer of adult education administration to the Illinois community college system and passed several measures to increase student access and affordability to higher education.

Representative Erwin continues to follow higher education issues as senior vice president of Res Publica Group, a Chicago-based public affairs firm.

For additional information on ICCTA's Certificate of Merit, please contact Kim Villanueva at 217-528-2858, ext. 1.