Monday, April 15, 2013

Women's History Month Speaker 3 Mar 2013: Min. Gwen Edmonds

Gwen Edmonds was born March 13, 1940 on the West side of Chicago. She attended Hayes Elementary and graduated from Lucy Flower High School in 1958. She then continued her education at Crain Jr. College, then transferred to Roosevelt University, Depaul University, and then to Moody Bible Institute where she studied Christian Education and Music. Gwen met Walter L. Edmonds while attending Moody Bible Institute and they married in 1964.

Gwen and Walter moved to Mississippi where he served as pastor of Berean Bible Church. In 1968 they returned to Chicago. By this time, Gwen and Walter were proud parents of two daughters, Debra Lynn and Denise Marie. Walter went home to be with the Lord soon after they returned to Chicago, in September of 1968. Denise was two months old.

Saved at thirteen years old, Gwen credits God for keeping her out of nonsense. Her love for the Lord lead her to study Christian Education and Music as an adult. She knew she wanted to use music to help young people.

Gwen is a member of First Church of God Christian Life Center where she is involved in the music ministry. She is a musician for Sherman United Methodist Church and plays throughout the Evanston community. Gwen is a committed servant of God, always striving to do His will.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Black History Month Speaker Feb. 17, 2013: Dr. Harvey Echols, M.D.

Dr. Harvey L. Echols is a lifelong resident of the Chicago area. He is a proud graduate of Lindblom Technical High School, and he received his B.A. in biology from Monmouth College in 1981. He was a graduate student in the Medical/Dental Education Preparatory Program (MEDPREP) at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale during the 1982-1983 academic year, and earned his medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in 1987. While at SIU, Dr. Echols served as both president and vice-president of the local chapter of the Student National Medical Association, and was a member of the Dean's Task Force on Minority Medical Education.
Dr. Echols served his internship and residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, and completed his residency in 1990. he was Chief Resident in the Department of Family Practice during the 1989-1990 academic yer. In 1992, Dr. Echols completed a fellowship on Sports Medicine at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.Dr. Echols is a past president of the Cook County Physicians Association, the component chapter of the National Medical Association. He is an appointed clinical assistant professor of Family Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine, The Finch university of the Health Sciences at the Chicago Medical School, and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. He is a member of the National Medical Association, the Cook County Physicians Association, the American Academy of Family Practice, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the American College of Medical Quality. Dr. Echols has previously served as a consulting team physician to the  Chicago Rush Arena League football team, Kennedy-King College, and Simeon Vocational Career Academy. He is the CEO and managing partner of Illinios Medical Consultants, a medico-legal consulting firm. As well, he currently serves as a physician adviser for Accretive Health Physician Advisory Services, a nationwide healthcare consulting group.
An accomplished public speaker, who haws delivered lectures on multiple topics, both medical and motivational, Dr. Echols, his wife, Dr. Millicent knight, and their son Matthew  reside in Evanston, Illinois.

Black History Month Speaker Feb. 10, 2013: Judge Sydney A. Jones, III

Judge Sidney A. Jones, III is a native of Chicago, having attended Hyde Park High School and the University of Illinois in Champaign, after which he served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. After his discharge as a captain, he graduated from Northwestern University School of Law in 1973, and became engaged in the general practice of civil and criminal law, during which time he served as president of the Cook County Bar Association.

He was appointed a Circuit Judge by the Illinois Supreme Court in January, 1985, was elected in 1986 and retained in 1992 and in 1998. He served as the supervising judge of the Civil Trial Section of the First Municipal District and also as the Supervising Judge of the Mandatory Arbitration Program, effectively implementing time standards and guiding the emergence of mandatory arbitration in Cook County. Judge Jones became a highly acclaimed leader in court reform and the elimination of backlog, congestion and delay of civil cases. He was also active in continuing legal and judicial education, having attended, taught and presented dozens of seminars, workshops and classes throughout the legal profession and judicial system, including “Civil Mediation” at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada. He also served as Chairperson of the Illinois Judicial Council, and as treasurer of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association.

After having served as a trial judge in the prestigious Chancery Division of the Circuit Court, Judge Jones retired from the judiciary in April 2001 to join his wife, Linda RM Jones, in business. While in business, he served and an arbitrator and mediator and remained an active member of the Illinois Judicial Council and the Cook County Bar Association. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the Montford Point Marine Association, and Coppin AME Church, where he serves as a member of the Board of Trustees and as president of the Music Ministry.

Judge Jones was recalled to again serve as a Circuit Judge by the Illinois Supreme Court in June 2008, and presently serves as a trial judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Within his division of the Circuit Court, Judge Jones’ calendar has the lowest number of pending cases, the fastest time to disposition rate, and the youngest average case age.

Judge Jones has resided in Chicago’s South Shore community continuously since 1986, and now resides with his wife of 23 years, Linda

Black History Month Speaker: Feb 3, 2013: R. Scott Rochelle

R. Scott Rochelle concentrates his practice in commercial litigation where he represents corporate clients in a myriad of areas such as premises liability, construction, and large scale loss claims. Scott gained extensive litigation experience through civil rights practice where he gained valuable experience in the federal court system. He has successfully represented municipalities, large and small, in numerous matters.

During law school, Scott served as a law clerk in the Office of the University Counsel at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, where he worked closely with the university’s attorneys on large litigation matters involving civil rights, premises liability, and labor disputes.

In May 2004, Scott earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, concentrating on educational policy analysis. While at the College of Education, Scott served as a Summer Research Opportunities Research Fellow, a Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow, and a Graduate College Fellow, concentrating his research in the complexities of policy analysis within our nation’s education system.

Scott has immersed himself in community involvement and holds a masters degree in educational policy and is currently a member of the Evanston School District 202 Board of Education.