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Illinois Community College Board exec to speak at LCCC Commencement

Illinois Community College Board Executive Director Brian Durham will deliver the Commencement address at Lewis and Clark Community College’s 48th Annual Commencement ceremony on Wednesday, May 15.

durham brianDurham joined the ICCB in 2001 and started out in workforce development. Over time, he has provided leadership for and served as an administrator in adult education and family literacy, career and technical education, research and policy studies and academic affairs.

“We are excited to have Brian as our keynote speaker for Lewis and Clark’s 48th Commencement ceremony,” said LCCC President Dale Chapman. “Dr. Durham has policy and management responsibilities for the third largest state system of community colleges in America, serving nearly 700,000 students in Illinois. Guests will find Dr. Durham very engaging, and that he understands the challenges graduates faced in reaching this milestone.”

Durham has managed the state’s top-rated transfer system, the Illinois Articulation Initiative, and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (now the Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act), and led the program approval and program review process.

He oversaw the implementation of transitional math pathways in the state and worked closely with college stakeholders to design a multiple measures placement policy for the community college system.

Durham currently serves on the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board, the IWIB Executive Committee, the P-20 Council, and as the Board liaison to the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents, among many other areas of service.

Prior to his work at the ICCB, Durham served as an employment and training administrator in El Centro, California, and as a youthful offender coordinator at Illinois Central College in Peoria, Illinois. Durham has also taught as an adjunct professor at several higher education institutions over the years.

Durham holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Evansville, a Master of Arts in Political Science from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he focused on Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education.

He has authored articles on community college completion, workforce development and career pathways, among other areas.

“I look forward to the opportunity to address the graduates of L&C as they celebrate this momentous occasion and get ready to go out into the workforce prepared for high-skilled, in-demand jobs or transfer to a bachelor’s degree program,” Durham said.

This year’s ceremony will take place at 7 p.m., in the Hatheway Cultural Center’s Ann Whitney Olin Theatre on Lewis and Clark’s Godfrey Campus.

Doors will open at 6 p.m., with the ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. Additional seating for guests will be provided in The Commons, where the ceremony will be broadcast live on two large screens.

The ceremony will also be streamed online via the college’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/lewisandclarkcc, which will also be shared on Facebook and at www.lc.edu/graduation.

For more information, call (618) 468-5001.

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