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Home Address:
540 Clover Court
Gibson City, Illinois 60936
Phone: 217/784-8540
Email: tmbennett@mchsi.com
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About Thomas M. Bennett
Family Background:
Tom was the fourth of five children raised on a
small farm near Gibson City, Illinois. His father fought in World War II in the
Pacific and became a farmer after the war. His mother went to Illinois
State University, and her first job was teaching 12 students in a one room
country school house. By the time Tom was born, his mom worked part-time
as a teacher's aide and spent the rest of her time keeping track of five very
active children. Tom's dad and mom were very proud that all five children went
to college.
Today, Tom works as an IT manager for a national
insurance company. Prior to that he was a high school science teacher and
a corporate computer software developer and trainer. Tom has a BS in
Education, a BS in Applied Computer Science, an MBA, and is now working on his
doctorate of Business Administration. Tom married his wife Kathy in 1980 and
they have two children, Megan and Andrew.
Work Experience:
- 1985 - Present - Tom works for a large national multi-line insurance
company. He has worked as a PLI programmer, systems analyst, corporate mainframe trainer,
and currently, a professional development manager in the issuance, document management,
testing, and helpdesk areas.
- From 1978-1985, Tom taught middle school and high school science and math.
Interest in Education:
- 2005 - Present - Association of Community College Trustees Board member
- 2007-2008 Vice Chair
- 2006-2007 Secretary/Treasurer
- 1999 - 2005 - Associate Member of the Association of the Community
College Trustees (ACCT)
- Attended ACCT meetings regularly since 1998
- Have served on the:
- Finance
and Audit Committee
- Membership/Communication Committee
(helped in the development of the ACCT Trustee Directory)
- Governance and Bylaws Committee
(helped in the recent review and update of our bylaws)
- Public Policy Committee
- Awards Nomination Committee, 2004
- Ad
hoc committee-Select Committee, 2004
- Completed Levels 1, 2, 3 ACCT Education
Designations
- Presenter at national and regional meetings
- ACCT Quality Consultant, 2004, 2005
- 1995 - Present - Active member of Illinois Community College Trustee
Association (ICCTA)
- President - 2005-2006
- Vice President - 2004-2005
- Secretary - 2003-2004
- Two-term Chair/Co-Chair Diversity Committee
- 2004 Trustee Education Award recipient
- 1995- Present - Parkland College Board Trustee
- Present - Board Vice-Chair
- 2003 - 2005 - Board Secretary.
- 1997 - Present - President of the K-12 GCMS Education Foundation.
Tom was the driving force
behind this foundation founded in 1997 and has been the president since its
inception. The Foundation
provides additional monies to enhance and expand the quality of education and
learning opportunities for GCMS students. Because of his effort, Tom has been nominated by the GCMS Education Association as the 2005 IEA Friends and Advocates honoree.
- 1993 - 1995 - Vice-President of the Corn Belt Division of the Illinois
School Board Association.
- 1993 - 1995 - Board Secretary to the K-12 Gibson
City-Melvin-Sibley (GCMS) School Board.
- 1993 - Member of the Committee to Consolidate the Gibson City and the
Melvin-Sibley School Districts.
- 1989 - 1993 - A member of the K-12 Gibson City School Board.
- 1983 - 1989 - President of a local pre-school education board that
provided education experiences for 77 three and four year olds.
Education Accomplishments:
- Currently - Working on a Doctorate of Business Administration from Nova
Southeastern University.
- 1990 - MBA from Illinois State University.
- 1985 - BS in Applied Computer Science from Illinois State University.
- 1978 - BS in Education from Eastern Illinois University.
Tom has also taken several classes at Parkland College.
Family/Interests:
- Tom is especially proud of being a husband and father of two children,
Megan, 22 and Andrew, 20. Tom and Kathy were married in 1980 and live
in Gibson City where they attend the First United Methodist Church.
- He relaxes by singing with a local group called Jake's Boys. This
is a group of eight men and one woman that have sung for Illinois Farm
Bureau and other state associations, churches, county fairs, community
dinners, and fundraisers all over Illinois since 1997.
Other Community Activities:
- Rotary International - Paul Harris Fellow
- Precinct committeeman, Drummer 3
- Community & Economic Development Foundation, Inc.
- Workforce Development Board of East Central Illinois
Heroes:
Everyone has heroes. One of Tom's heroes is his younger brother Doug.
Doug went to Parkland College to learn how to farm with our dad. In the
1970's, our farm situation started to go downhill and the family was basically
looking to sell out. But somehow, Doug worked with local bankers to keep
things afloat. At an early age, Doug took on a major financial
responsibility in running the family farm. That has been over 25 years now
and Doug has worked hard to make things succeed and has greatly improved both the
farm's situation and the quality of its soil. Over the years, Doug has
shown excellent creativity, ingenuity, stewardship of the soil, and persistence
that I have grown to admire and respect. He took the farm and turned it
around when no one thought it could be done. Doug is a real hero to his
family.
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Thomas M. Bennett, Trustee
