An elected seven-member Board of Trustees governs L&C. Beyond its management responsibilities, the board is a driving force behind L&C's innovation and creativity. It provides an atmosphere where entrepreneurial thinking can flourish and fosters partnerships with businesses, other schools, government agencies and community organizations.
Questions, comments, concerns or inquiries for members of the Board can be sent to board@lc.edu.
Meet the Trustees
Dwight Werts, Chair
Dwight Werts joined the Board of Trustees in 2009. He is the president of Werts Welding & Tank Service in Wood River. After graduating from Roxana High School, Werts earned his Associate in Science from Lewis and Clark Community College. Werts is a RiverBend Growth Association member who also serves as a board member on the finance board at St. Anthony’s Hospital. He is vice president of the Marquette High School Foundation and a board member of both the Lewis and Clark Foundation and the Southern Illinois Employers Association.
Larry G. Trent, Vice Chair
Larry Trent, of Rosewood Heights, joined the Board of Trustees in 2021. Born in Alton, he is a graduate of Roxana High School, Belleville Area College, McKendree University, the F.B.I. Executive Institute, Illinois State Police Academy and the University of Louisville Police Institute. He is a decorated veteran of combat operations in Vietnam, where he served as helicopter crew chief and door gunner. Trent spent 28 years with the Illinois State Police, starting as a patrol trooper in Chicago, homicide investigator and numerous command officer positions. He ultimately became the director of the Illinois State Police for six years. He has also served as the president of the River Bend Growth Association, Vice President of Argosy Gaming Company and Intelligence Liaison for the Department of Homeland Security. He is retired and is an active member of Rosewood Heights Community Church as well as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Fraternal Order of Police, Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Dr. Jill Griffin, Secretary
Dr. Jill Griffin, a Bethalto native, joined the Board in November 2022. She holds a doctorate in education and has been superintendent of the Bethalto School District for the past seven years, having served as assistant superintendent and curriculum director in the district during the six years prior. Her extensive career in education has also included roles such as building principal, classroom teacher, reading specialist and a softball coach. In addition to the L&C Board, Griffin currently serves as vice president of the Southwest Region Illinois Association of School Administrators (SWIASA).
Donna Ware, Vice Secretary
Donna Ware, of Alton, was appointed in March 2023 to fill a trustee vacancy through April 2025. She holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis. She currently works as an Executive Director of Planning and Design with BJC HealthCare, with more than 30 years in architecture, and periodically teaches a graduate-level seminar for architecture students at Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design on designing healthcare environments. Ware is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), has served on the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo Advisory Board since 2014 and has been on the ACE Mentor Program’s Board of Directors, St. Louis Chapter, since 2018.
Julie Johnson
Julie Johnson, of Edwardsville, joined the L&C Board of Trustees in 2019. Johnson is a retired CPA. She received an associate degree in Accounting from Lincoln Land Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and a Master's in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis. After working as auditor for KPMG in St. Louis, she was an auditor and accounting manager at Maritz, Inc. in Fenton. After caring for her three children, she now assists with accounting work for various not-for-profits and her family’s businesses, which are located in southern Illinois. Johnson grew up on a dairy farm in Nokomis, Illinois and still helps her husband’s family farm there. She currently lives on a cattle farm near Hamel and is a member and volunteer at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hamel.
Kevin Rust
Kevin Rust, of Glen Carbon, joined the L&C Board of Trustees in 2019. Rust was raised on a dairy farm near Bunker Hill. He attended Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE) earning an accounting degree and master’s degree in Business Administration. Rust retired as a financial advisor, previously serving in increasingly responsible financial roles in private industry, including as Chief Financial Officer. His career designations included Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor. Rust currently serves on the SIUE Foundation Board of Directors as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee. He is an active Rotarian and is a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, serving as an usher and elder.
Brian Campbell
Brian Campbell joined the L&C Board of Trustees in April 2023. He is a lifelong resident of the Alton-Godfrey area and co-owner of Colman's Country Campers and 5 Diamond Campground in Hartford. A graduate of Alton’s Marquette Catholic High School, Campbell completed his postsecondary educational studies in economics, receiving his degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He has served as Alton’s 1st Ward as its council member and as well as several other community organization boards. He and his wife Elizabeth have a daughter and three sons.
Melissa McKaig, Student Trustee
Melissa McKaig, of Jerseyville joined the Lewis and Clark Board of Trustees as the student representative in April 2023. She is currently working on earning her associate degree in nursing and plans to graduate in Fall 2024. McKaig is an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Godfrey and a co-leader of a 12-step Christian-based all-women study group. She also works with the Women’s Ministry of Westminster and the Missionary team at Westminster and participates in the nursing club at Lewis and Clark.