Illinois e-News Release

Michelle Dawn Carrera will serve as a Member on the Illinois State Police Merit Board.* Carrera is the Vice President of SHERQ (Safety/ Health/ Environment/ Risk/Quality) where she developed and implemented programs for eight U.S. service centers to expand sales across the country. Carrera has a strong history of recognized leadership, creative problem solving, and team building abilities. Prior to her role with SHERQ, Carrera worked as Vice President for SPR Operation from 2013 to 2022. Carrera has also served as a member on the West Central Association Chamber of Commerce since 2015. She received a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and a Master of Arts in english composition and rhetoric from Northeastern Illinois University.

Dr. Maureen C. Mosley Banks will serve as a Member on the Illinois Community College Board.* Banks previously served as the Director of Safety and Compliance at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She worked at the University in various positions for 33 years until she retired in 2022. Dr. Banks has received many awards throughout her life, including the Business Partner of the Year in 2010 and Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement in 2011. She is currently a member of a variety of boards including the Quincy University Board of Trustees, the Parkland College Board of Trustees, the Champaign Rotary Board, and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine Institutional Review Board. Dr. Banks received a Bachelor of Sciences from Western Illinois University, a Master of Sciences from the University of Iowa, and completed her PhD in human resources education at the University of Illinois.

Aarti Kotak will serve as a Member on the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.* Kotak is currently the Managing Director and head of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Social Impact at Ariel Alternatives, where she creates and implements ESG and impact policies and practices. Prior to this position, she served as the Chief Strategy and Operations advisor at Peak 6 and was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Neighborhood Economic Development in the Office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. She has been a member of a variety of boards including the Illinois Housing Development Authority Board and the Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative, and she also served as Vice President of the Chicago Development Fund. Kotak received her Bachelor of the Arts from the University of Illinois and his Juris Doctorate from the Stanford University School of Law.

Dr. Anna Grasselino will serve as a Member on the Illinois State Board of Education.* Grasselino is a Senior Scientist, Division Director, and SQMS Center Director at DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Center. She also works an Adjunct Professor in the Physics Department at Northwestern University. Prior to taking on her current roles, she was the Deputy Chief Technology Officer at Fermilab. Dr. Grasselino has received numerous awards and recognition for her research work and impact in science and society, most recently the 2023 New Horizon in Physics Prize from the Breakthrough Foundation and Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2020. Dr. Grasselino received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electronic Engineering from the University of Pisa in Italy. She received a Master’s degree and PhD in physics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Mario Farfan will serve as a Member on the Enterprise Zone Board.* Farfan is the Founder, President, and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Northwest Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Eight years ago, he founded the NWHCC as a resource for Latino Business’ economic growth. Farfan also worked as a Senior Business Branch Manager with Huntington National Bank, as a Community and Business Development Consultant with Fiserv, and as Regional Manager of Business Development with Associated Bank. Farfan served in the U.S Military from 1994-1999. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from DeVry University.

José Rico will serve as a Member on the Northeastern Illinois University Board of Trustees.* Rico is the Director at Truth Radical Healing and Transformation - Greater Chicago (TRHT). TRHT is part of a comprehensive, national, and community-based process dedicated to promoting healing, increasing racial equity, and fueling transformation in neighborhoods and communities across Cook County. Prior to taking on this role, Rico served as Senior Vice President of Community Impact at the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Executive Director at with the White House initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics, and was the founding High School Principal at the Multicultural Arts School. Rico is a member of multiple associations including the Mayor’s Equity Advisory Council, the National Collaborative Leadership Institute for Racial Healing, and the University of Illinois Latino Alumni Association Board. Rico received his Bachelor of Arts in Illinois Community Leadership Development from Northeastern Illinois University and his Master of Arts in Illinois Curriculum, Instruction & Evaluation from the University of Illinois.