State appointment prompts change in UI Alumni Association board leadership

Chico steps down to lead ISBE; Livingston takes helm of governing body

Gery Chico and Tom LivingstonUniversity of Illinois alumnus Gery Chico ’79 LAS has stepped down as chairman and member of the UI Alumni Association Board of Directors so that he may serve as the new chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education.. Under state law, members of the ISBE may not serve on any other board of an institution of higher education within Illinois.

Governor Pat Quinn recently appointed him to the position. Under state law, members of the ISBE may not serve on any other board of an institution of higher education within Illinois.

UIAA President and CEO Loren R. Taylor has announced that Tom Livingston ’90 media, mpa ’97 paa, of La Grange, Ill., will replace Chico as chairman for one of the largest associations of its kind with more than 600,000 living alumni.

Chico, an attorney and civic leader who ran second to Rahm Emanuel in February’s mayoral race in Chicago, has served on the Alumni Association board since 2001. In that time, he has guided the resurgence of the UIAA in recommending candidates for the UI Board of Trustees, the revitalization of a strong alumni advocacy network, and has served on the search committees that selected current UI President Michael J. Hogan and the chancellor of the UI-Chicago campus, Paula Allen-Meares.

“It’s been an honor to serve with such a talented group of people who give so much to preserve the strength of the University of Illinois,” Chico said. “And I know that Tom Livingston, Loren Taylor and the full board will continue to strengthen our great University.”

Chico has a long and distinguished history as a public servant, including stints as president of the Chicago school board and head of the city colleges under former Mayor Richard Daley. In his new role, he said he will continue “to promote the value of solid K-12 education and higher education in Illinois.”

“Gery has been a tremendous leader for the Alumni Association and for the University,” Taylor said. “We’re very grateful for the time he has devoted to our governing board, and he will always be an advocate for the mission of the UIAA. The good news is that Illinois will continue to benefit from his expertise and passionate commitment to quality education.”

Chico leaves his Association position with confidence in the new board leadership.
“The Alumni Association is in good hands under the able leadership of Tom Livingston,” he said, who, like Chico, is a UI alumnus and ardent supporter of the University.

Livingston has already provided several years of service to the UIAA, including his leadership of the board’s Advocacy Committee that advises the Illinois Connection advocacy network of 10,000 alumni and students, and the Association’s most recent strategic planning initiative.

“Tom was serving as the vice chairman of our board, so he knows the critical issues, and he knows the value that alumni contribute to advancing the welfare of the University of Illinois,” Taylor said. “He’s well known in Springfield, Chicago and Urbana-Champaign, and he’s widely respected for his leadership and integrity.”

Livingston handles regulatory and governmental affairs as resident vice president for CSX Transportation and also is chairman of the Civic Federation of Chicago. He recently concluded two four- year terms as a trustee for La Grange, where he resides with his wife, Casey, and three children.

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