EDWARDSVILLE - At a recent candidates forum, candidates for the Lewis and Clark Community College District 536 Board of Trustees introduced themselves to voters.
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On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, community members gathered at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville for the forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters and the NAACP.
There are four candidates running for three seats. Tammy Smith-Williams was unable to attend the forum. Abigail Eilerman, Donna Ware and George Ellis introduced themselves and answered questions about their goals for the students and administration at LCCC.
Abigail Eilerman is a first-time candidate and lifelong Riverbend resident. She graduated from Jerseyville High School and attended SIUE School of Pharmacy. She opened and managed a specialty pharmacy for Walgreens in Springfield. Currently, she teaches at the SIU School of Dental Medicine. She has four children and lives in Jerseyville.
“I think that I’m kind of uniquely qualified for a role like this. My parents always felt that education was a pathway to opportunities for us,” she said. “I feel like it’s important to be conscientious about those pathways for other kids within our community. I’m excited to utilize my experiences and work with other members of the board and members of the college to help the community college grow and expand into the future.”
Donna Ware currently serves on the LCCC Board of Trustees after being appointed to fill a vacancy two years ago. She works as an architect with BJC Healthcare. She is from Anchorage, Alaska, but moved to the area to attend Washington University, where she met her husband and then moved to the Riverbend region.
“I’ve learned a tremendous amount about what is required to serve on the board,” she said. “It has been an incredible experience for me, and I think that it will be very helpful in how I move forward to help Lewis and Clark Community College serve the incredible community of students that we have in our district.”
George Ellis is running for the board for the first time. He works as a financial advisor and provides corporate consulting services. He lives in Hamel, and his wife attended LCCC and SIUE. He said he is interested in evaluating the need and use of LCCC buildings.
“I would like to help the institution through financial analysis and evaluations to help make the operations as efficient as possible while maintaining quality educational services for the students and increasing enrollment as appropriate,” he said. “I think it’s very important to work with the administration of the school and to help implement transparency whenever possible.”
The candidates answered questions about a trustee’s role in relation to the college president and administration, their plans for attracting and retaining students, and how to protect student voices amid recent campus protests in the news.
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