Diamond Youth Advisory Board
Fred Chavis
Diamond Youth Foundation Advisory
Board Chairman
Hon. Vincent F. Cornelius
Diamond Youth Foundation Advisory
Board Member
Fred R. Chavis, Sr. Manager at Motorola Solutions, Inc. responsible for supporting and directing all global Public Safety trials and demonstrations for next generation Long Term Evolution technology. Prior to his current assignment, Fred was a Sr. Manager at Alcatel-Lucent Technologies where he lead product management in the area of high speed data technology in support of commercial cellular carriers.
He is a Steward and member of the Class Leader Executive Council at DuPage AME church, a Past President of the Maywood Wheaton Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated and serves as the Chairman of the Diamond Youth Foundation Advisory Board.
He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and received a BS degree in Business Administration and Broadcasting & Marketing Management.
Hon. Vincent F. Cornelius is a Will County Circuit Court Judge. Judge Cornelius is a past president of the Illinois State Bar Association, past president of the Illinois Bar Foundation, and former Chancellor of the Academy of Illinois Lawyers. Judge Cornelius has served on governor’s commissions, legislative committees, and Supreme Court commissions, as well as university, hospital, and corporate boards. He has been a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity since 1987.
Dianne Engram
Diamond Youth Foundation Advisory
Board Member
Dianne M. Engram is a retired Manager of the Equal Opportunity Office of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. She had a vast array of leadership responsibilities which included but were not limited to being the Affirmative Action and Compliance Officer, point of contact for all complaints filed externally with the EEOC and the Illinois Department of Human Rights, developer of Human Rights policies and Laboratory liaison for community organizations working toward inclusion and employment opportunities for affected groups. She also serves as the Quad County Urban League TSTM Advisory Board Chair, Executive Board Member of the Quad County Urban League, Executive Board Member of the National GEM Consortium, Chair of the Minority Engineering Recruitment and Retention Advisory Board at the University of Illinois Chicago and President of the West Towns Chapter of the LINKS, Incorporated.
Dianne received a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences from Howard University and a Master of Arts- from Indiana University.
Theodia Gillespie
Diamond Youth Foundation Advisory
Board Member
Theodia B. Gillespie is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Quad County Urban League. Prior to this assignment, she was the education Coordinator, Director of Education, and Employment and Program Director of the Quad City Urban League. She is an active member of the Workforce Investment Board in Kane, Kendall, and DeKalb Counties; serves on the Kane County Juvenile Justice Council; is involved with the Kane County Second Chance Program; is a trustee of the Fox Valley Park District; is a member of the Aurora University Education Committee; sits on the Presence (Mercy) Hospital Board and the Waubonsee Community College Foundation Board; plays a key role in the Coalition for Better Education; and is a member of the Aurora Noon Rotary Club.
Mrs. Gillespie is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University where she received her B.S. degree in Social Work.
Gregory L. Lacey
Diamond Youth Foundation Advisory
Board Member
Gregory Lacey is a Labor and Employment attorney with his own practice, and a sought-after speaker. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Louisiana. Prior to having his own practice, Mr. Lacey was a partner with a large, Midwest-based law firm. Previously, he was an Assistant Corporation Counsel with the law department of the City of Chicago. Mr. Lacey is a graduate of Washington University and the University of Iowa College of Law, where he was a member of the Iowa Law Review. He has been a member of Kappa Alpha Psi since 1986, and is currently a member of the Maywood-Wheaton Alumni Chapter. He is married and has three children.
Donald A. Randolph
Diamond Youth Foundation Advisory
Board Member
Donald A. Randolph is a retired Chemist who holds a B.S. in Chemistry and an M.A. in Organic Chemistry. He worked in industry for forty years as a Research Chemist, Research Manager, and Manager of Product and New Business Development. During his professional career he was awarded six US Patents while employed by AmericanCan Company, USG Corporation, and Wright Medical Technology.
Diamond Youth Advisory Board Emeritus
Don Bland
Diamond Youth Foundation Advisory
Board Member
Don joined Target Stores Inc. in 1967 and held several store manager positions with Target, JL Hudson of Detroit, Montgomery Ward in Chicago and VP/SVP positions with Lechmere in Boston, MA. Don joined Wal-Mart as VP in Lawn and Garden and then Regional VP US, COO, Wal -Mart Canada and CEO, Wal-Mart Argentina. Don retired from Walmart in January of 2005, joined the faculty at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Don is a member of the Board of Advisors of the NPDCorporation, a New York based consumer Research Company. In addition, Don serves on the Chancellor’s Board of Advisors, U of A, Other boards include. Scottsdale Leadership, Diamond Youth Foundation Advisory Board. Don attended Drake University, graduated from Harris Stowe State University, with a BA in Elementary Education in 1964. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award in May 1999.
Charlie Thurston
Diamond Youth Foundation Advisory
Board Member
Charlie Thurston retired as vice president of governmental affairs at NICOR GAS. Before his retirement in 2001, he held several senior management positions including, vice presidents, divisions leads, environmental affairs, engineering, consumer services, and technical testing. He served in many civic positions including President’s, Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, DuPage County Branch of the NAACP, Secretary of the Illinois Futures Task Force, founder DuPage Community Foundation, board memberships, National Association of Regional Councils, Urban League in Aurora. Metropolitan Open Communities Leadership Council, Dupage County Board of Health, and Board member of Maywood Wheaton Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He served in various professional organizations, Chairmanship's Midwest Gas Association, American Gas Association, Urban Affairs Committee. Member of Economic Club of Chicago, Chicago Golf Club.
He earned his BS, in civil engineering from the University of Kansas, 1961 and MS, from Institute of Industrial Relations, Loyola University, Chicago, 1974.