Friends For Education 502 Candidate Endorsements

Support open, accountable leadership at the College of DuPage

Dianne McGuire Dianne McGuire Photo is inspired by public service—and it's an inspiration to hear her talk about her approach to leadership. "Being an advocate and a problem-solver suits me to a T—this is what a good public servant does." She also understands clearly the mission of COD: "The ultimate beneficiary is always the student!" McGuire, a trained mediator and committed listener, will build strong relationships as a COD Trustee, grounded in a broad base of community interests.

Dianne McGuire has served on the boards of the League of Women Voters, the Illinois Education Association, and the National Education Association. She served as president of her teachers association in Naperville for 9 years, providing leadership through tough negotiation cycles and their aftermath, developing communication channels between teachers and the public as well as teachers and their administration. She emphasizes listening to all constituencies and representing the best interests of the school and curriculum. She will be a strong, well-prepared voice on our Board of Trustees. She believe that resources must be protected and directed wisely for the sake of serving the community as well as possible.

McGuire taught middle school language arts in Naperville for 27 years before her retirement in 2006. She points out that as a career educator, she can bring a unique perspective to the Board of Trustees because she understands curriculum and assessment, in addition to knowing how responsibilities are balanced among faculty, administration, and board. "It's all about approach and preparation," she says—acknowledging the hard work that institutional leadership requires.

McGuire has extensive leadership and board experience under her belt, and she will bring demonstrated skills and forward-looking energy to COD's Board of Trustees. Please vote—and please share information about this important election with all your local friends and neighbors. A vote for McGuire is a vote for strong leadership to benefit all residents of District 502. To learn more about Dianne McGuire, visit her campaign web site.

Max Bochmann Max Bochmann Photo enjoys sailing his boat on Lake Michigan in his leisure hours. The sailing of governance boards also floats Max's boat. His candidacy in the April 5th election for one of two positions on the College of DuPage Board of Trustees is very good news for residents of District 502, as he comes with the experience and passion required. His interest in board work can be traced to his 38 years working in the Transportation Department of Naperville Community School District 203, which is overseen by the Board of Education. In his capacity as the President of his union local, the negotiation of four contracts since 1994 has provided ample insights into what practices make a board work efficiently—and what practices do not.

Bochmann's first experience working on a board was with the Naperville Summer Place Theater, where he served as a board member for ten years. This led to him seeking broader experience in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), a system of nearly 3,000 retirement funds for local government employees. In 1999, Bochmann was elected statewide to the Board of Trustees of the IMRF where he served until December 2010. In that time, he served four years as chair of the Investment Committee, and six years as a board officer.

Those eleven years involved navigating many significant financial challenges; the bursting of the tech bubble, the collapse of the World Trade Center, Enron, and the implosion of the housing market and its attendant fallout of toxic assets; but IMRF saw its assets under management grow by $9 billion, or 60%. Max's IMRF Board experience encompassed eleven years of meeting the needs of members and annuitants in challenging conditions. Undoubtedly, Max Bochmann has the experience needed to make the COD Board of Trustees as good as the rest of the institution.

Bochmann doesn't believe in having an agenda beyond good governance and proper board process. This means listening to the constituency groups and keeping an open mind, reaching consensus in open discussions, and avoiding factions and back-room deals. As a member of the COD Board of Trustees, he would like to see the college continue doing the things it does well, in terms of meeting students' needs and attracting quality staff and faculty. He will bring demonstrated skills and experience to COD's Board of Trustees. Please vote—and please share information about this important election with all your local friends and neighbors. A vote for Bochmann is a vote for strong leadership that benefits all District 502 residents.