Autism Advocate and Rhodes Scholar Maureen Dunne Sworn in on COD Board of Trustees

CHICAGO, April 29, 2019 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​​Autism Community Ventures, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping integrate those on the autism spectrum into 21st century careers, is proud to announce that its director, Dr. Maureen Dunne, was recently sworn in as one of two new members of the Board of Trustees for the College of DuPage (“COD”). Dr. Dunne was the top vote getter in the election by a wide margin, attracting over 34% of the total vote.

“I am thrilled to have been elected to serve District 502 and return to my alma mater as a new Trustee. I believe my background as both an alum and a technology executive will offer a unique perspective as the College confronts a number of new and existing challenges,” commented Dr. Dunne. Among those challenges, College of DuPage will be ushering in a new leadership era as the Board of Trustees will be tasked to hire its next president while addressing declining enrollment trends.

A COD alum, Dunne represents the first community college graduate in the world to receive the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. She attended the College of DuPage after graduating high school early as a junior. Dunne was in the honors program at COD before transferring to the University of Chicago, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and completed simultaneous bachelors and master’s degrees. She then moved on to Oxford University, where she completed her doctoral degree as a Rhodes Scholar. 

Dr. Dunne was awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) along with a group of other individuals with distinguished career records, including Dick Vermeil (former head coach of Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs), Bruce Merrifield (Nobel Laureate), Jeff Cook (founding member of the country band Alabama), and Val Azzoli (formerly President of Atlantic Records). Dr. Bruce Merrifield, a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, referred to Maureen as "ethical, innovative, and inspiring."

In addition to her academic accomplishments, Dr. Dunne has co-founded, led and advised venture-backed technology companies. Dunne also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Association of Greater Chicago, Access to Care (Auxiliary Board), and on the executive board of the Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation. A community leader, she is a member of Rotary and a co-founder of a nonprofit initiative that sponsors coding bootcamps. COD President Michael T. Murphy (1994-2003) wrote this about Maureen: "Some people set out to be something. Others set out to do something. Maureen belongs to the latter category."

Dunne’s campaign for COD Trustee focused on the importance of a proactive strategy to help prepare all District 502 residents for the evolving changes in the workforce and the skills required to stay competitive. Dunne earned all major institutional endorsements, including the endorsement from the Daily Herald, the Courier, APNA USA and the COD Faculty Association (CODFA). 

Dunne, the mother of triplets, noted: “When I was a student at COD, the motto was ‘Lifelong Learning’. Never has this been more true. Due to a rapidly changing employment landscape, it is already becoming commonplace to have multiple careers during one's lifetime. The community college of the future will need to evolve into 'the primary community resource' for retooling skills throughout a person's lifetime. A proactive approach to 21st century skill development is imperative given the inevitable transformative impact of artificial intelligence and automation.” 

Dr. Dunne has also set up multiple scholarship programs to support students with autism. 

Media Contact: Catherine Spencer, Email: [email protected]

Source: Autism Community Ventures