Special Olympics Illinois announces the election of four new members to its Board of Directors at the board’s October meeting. The new members include two labor leaders and two with extensive experience in the health care industry.
The new board members are Terrence J. Hancock, Jorge Ramirez, Sharon Rossmark and Brian D. Vandenberg.
Terrence J. Hancock
Hancock is President of Teamsters Local 731 and Vice President of Teamsters Joint Council 25 representing labor interests in Chicago and Northwest Indiana. He will serve on the Marketing & Development Committee of the SOILL Board.
Hancock joined the ranks of Teamsters Local Union 731 in 1979 as a rank-and file semi- dump tractor/trailer chauffeur. In 1989, he was appointed as Business Representative of Teamster Local 731 and was later appointed Recording Secretary. In 1997, Hancock rose to the position of Secretary-Treasurer. In 2005, he was overwhelmingly elected President and Principal Officer by the rank-and-file membership.
He was appointed to serve as an International Representative assigned to the IBT Construction Division located in Washington, D.C., in 1999. In 2007, Hancock was elected to serve as Trustee of Teamsters Joint Council 25 and, in 2008, was elected Recording Secretary prior to becoming Vice President.
Hancock serves as Co-Chairman on the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Teamsters/ Employers Apprenticeship and Training Fund and has been appointed to the Executive Board of the Chicago Federation of Labor. He also serves as Trustee of the Italian American Labor Council, as well as a Delegate of the Amalgamated Bank Labor Council Illinois/ Metropolitan Chapter.
Hancock’s proudest achievement is his position of President/Director of the “In Search of a Cure” charitable organization in honor of his son who has autism.
Jorge Ramirez
Ramirez is President of the Chicago Federation of Labor and will serve on the Marketing & Development Committee of the SOILL Board.
Ramirez was elected President of the Chicago Federation of Labor in 2010. Previously, he had served as Secretary-Treasurer of the federation. In 2006, he was elected Vice President and served as Executive Director of Local 1546 of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, representing nearly 30,000 members in Chicago and throughout Illinois.
Ramirez has served on the Cook County Health and Hospitals System Board of Directors as Vice Chairman since 2008. In 2012, he was named to the Chicago Infrastructure Trust board and the Cook County President’s Council of Economic Advisors.
He also currently serves on the boards of the U.S Department of Labor, Illinois Department of Labor, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Choose Chicago, Navy Pier Inc., the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago and Archdiocese of Chicago Office for Immigration Affairs.
Ramirez received a law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. In 1993, he graduated as a student scholarship athlete from the University of Texas at El Paso, where he double majored in marketing and computer information systems. He was also a four-year letterman in football.
Sharon Rossmark
Rossmark is President and CEO of Zayos Global Ventures, and will serve on the Sports Training & Competition and Board Governance & Membership committees of the SOILL Board. She has 30 years’ experience in the insurance and financial services industry.
She is also vice chairman of the board of directors for the Sinai Health System, Chicago. In July, she was appointed to serve as chairman of the board of directors for the National Children’s Center in Washington, D.C.
Additionally, Rossmark serves on the American Hospital Association’s Midwest Regional Policy Board and on the College of Business Advisory Council at Illinois State University. She recently completed her term as a governance expert on the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Patient Safety.
Rossmark, of Northbrook, is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors, and has earned the Governance Fellow designation.
She received her bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University, Normal, where she has endowed a scholarship to support U.S. military soldiers and veterans majoring in business. Rossmark received her master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Brian D. Vandenberg
Vandenberg is Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Origin Healthcare Solutions and is also General Counsel of 7wire Ventures and its portfolio companies. Vandenberg of Lake Forest will serve on the Sports Competition & Training Committee of the SOILL Board.
Previously, he was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Allscripts Healthcare Solutions. Before that, he was General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at uBid Inc. Vandenberg also served as chief executive of two sports management and marketing companies.
Vandenberg is also on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Children’s Choir. He serves on the Board of Directors and was Past President of Lake Forest High School Boosters and served on the Centennial Campaign Committee for University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Foundation.
He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and his law degree from DePaul University College of Law.
About Special Olympics Illinois
Special Olympics Illinois is a not-for-profit organization offering year-round training and competition in 19 sports for nearly 21,500 athletes with intellectual disabilities and more than 18,500 Young Athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics transforms lives by empowering people with intellectual disabilities to realize their full potential in sports and in life. Special Olympics programs enhance physical fitness, motor skills, self-confidence, social skills and encourage family and community support. If you are interested in learning more about Special Olympics Illinois, volunteering or providing financial support to help make Special Olympics programs possible, contact your local Special Olympics agency, call 800-394-0562 or visit our website at www.soill.org.
CONTACT:
Michele Evans, Special Olympics Illinois, 309-660-8497