Board Members
James is a graduate from Northern Illinois University (NIU) with a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. He began his professional career at Delloite & Touche and then Ernst & Young. He left public accounting and assumed the Controllership role at the Henry Pratt Company. James has served in several roles such as Vice President (VP) of Finance, VP of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer, VP of Finance & Operations, Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer.
James currently serves on the Nominating, State Liaison and Strategic Planning Committees for the Illinois Board of Examiners. James is also a full-time Certified Business and Life Coach, whose practice has included entrepreneurs, business leaders and students in the NIU Fast-Track MBA Program. He is also a founding director of the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce.
James began serving as an Independent Trustee and Audit Committee Chair of the River North Core Opportunity Fund. Previously, he was on the Board of the NIU College of Business Executive Club, now the NIU Alumni Association Executive Leadership Forum, served as VP of Programs and continues to serve on the Scholarship Committee. He has also held the VP and Director of the Board positions of the Illinois CPA Society and served and chaired many of its committees. He was Past Director and Chair of the Greater O’Hare Association of Commerce and Industry and chaired and served on several of its committees as well.
James is a Black Belt in Hapkido Karate, religious education mentor and enjoys volunteering for several church related activities. James has also served as a Cub Scout Master for four years.
Sara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She is the current Director of Risk Advisory and Forensic Services for Wipfli, LLP’s financial institutions practice. Previously, she has served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of The Leaders Bank, CFO and Treasurer of Pinnacle Banc Group, Inc. and Pinnacle Bank and as Senior Vice President and Controller at the Oak Brook Bank located in Oak Brook, IL.
Sara is also a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and is Certified in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA).
Sara has 35 plus years of internal audit, accounting and reporting issues, enterprise risk management, asset/liability consulting and operational reviews experience with a concentration on financial institutions.
In addition to being active in the financial business sector, she currently serves on the Illinois Board of Examiners’ Education Advisory Task Force and State Liaison Committee as well as serving as the Treasurer and member of the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois Board of Directors.
Sara has served as the Chairperson and Director of the Board at the Illinois CPA Society and a committee member of the Education Committee of the Community Banker’s Association of Illinois.
Sara is a loving and dedicated wife and mother to two sons, three daughters and two beloved dogs. She enjoys cheering on the Blackhawks (and the Cubs), traveling, reading and most importantly spending time with family.
Howard holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy with highest honors from the University of Illinois (U of I) and a Master's degree in Taxation from DePaul University. Prior to his retirement as partner with the Chicago office of Deloitte, he served as the Lead Client Service Partner and Advisory Partner for some of Deloitte’s largest and most complex clients. Prior to joining Deloitte in 2002, Mr. Engle was a senior partner with Andersen and coordinated Andersen's international tax practices in the Midwest.
Howard is Chair and Co-Founder of the Graduate Tax Program at the University of Illinois and an Adjunct Lecturer in the College of Business. He was awarded Bronze Tablet recognition for his performance in the undergraduate program at the University of Illinois (U of I), and was a 1972 recipient of the Elijah Watts Sells Award for his performance on the CPA Exam.
Currently Howard serves as a Trustee of the Deloitte Foundation and a member of the Board of the Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society at the U of I. In addition, he served a two-year term as President of The Standard Club in Chicago.
Howard has also served as Chair of the Andersen Foundation, as President of the U of I College of Business Alumni Board, as Chair of the Finance and Investments Committee of the Alumni Board and as Chair of the College of Business Advisory Council. And currently, he serves as a Trustee and Treasurer of the American Contract Bridge League Foundation and on the Executive Committee for the ILBOE.
Jeannie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from Loyola University Chicago and a Master’s degree in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University (NIU). She began her career in public accounting at Coopers & Lybrand (now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers) as General Practice staff and Audit Manager. She then joined the accounting faculty at College of DuPage (COD) as a full-time professor. During her 22-year career at COD, Jeannie also provided instruction to CPA Exam candidates in AUDIT, REG and BEC. Jeannie has published articles, co-authored books and written over 50 study guides and instructor's manuals to accompany financial and managerial textbooks. She is currently developing digital content to enable accounting students to learn more effectively using online, interactive platforms.
Jeannie has served on various Illinois CPA Society committees, including the CPA Examination Transition Task Force and the Outstanding Educator Task Force. Her awards include the Illinois CPA Society’s Distinguished Service and Outstanding Accounting Educator award, the NIU Department of Accountancy Teaching Assistant Award for Excellence, the Beta Alpha Psi National Research Scholar, Women in Management National Association Charlotte Danstrom Award, and Coopers & Lybrand Commitment Award.
Jeannie is a certified scuba diver. In addition to traveling around the world to dive, her interests include hiking, biking, and photography. She volunteers regularly in the SitStayRead program in the Chicago Public Schools.
Sheldon is a graduate of DePaul University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce, Accountancy and is a CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner) and CFF (Certified in Financial Forensics). He is a retired partner of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP. Prior to his retirement he was an audit and tax partner specializing in Forensic matters and audits of various public, private, governmental and not-for-profit organizations. He is currently the CEO of Holzman and Company.
Sheldon currently serves as a member of the American Institute of CPAs Council, the National Association of State Boards of Accounting–Professional Ethics and Strategic Matters Committee, the Board of Chicago Gateway Green as its Treasurer and on the Administrative Committee (Legislature & Rules), the Chair of the Finance/Audit Committee and the Chair of the strategic Planning Committee for the Illinois Board of Examiners. He has also served as the Chair of the Illinois CPA Society Board of Directors and on numerous not-for-profit boards.
Sheldon’s Perspective: “Being a trusted advisor to clients from a well-rounded background of serving clients; serving the profession in the professional ethics arena and forensic training.”
Sheldon is a husband, father of two sons, stepfather to a son and daughter and has four grandchildren. He enjoys traveling, golfing, cooking, spending time with his family and attending various Chicago sports teams and theatre events.
Tom Homer received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana and a Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Tom began his legal career in 1974 as a prosecutor in Lake County. He served two terms as the Fulton County Attorney and six terms as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives. He was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court in 1996 where he served until 2003, serving as the presiding justice for two one-year terms. From 2004 to 2014, Tom served as ethics advisor to the Illinois General Assembly during which he was recognized by the Illinois General Assembly for his integrity and ability (House Joint Resolution 142, 95th General Assembly). In March 2017, Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Tom to the Illinois Board of Examiners.
Tom is the owner of the Homer Law Firm in Naperville, where his practice is concentrated in the areas of estate planning, probate, real estate, and civil mediation. As a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Tom also advises clients with respect to wealth accumulation and wealth preservation strategies.
Rhonda is a graduate from DePaul University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s of Science in Accountancy degree.
After 20 years of successful public accounting and consulting practice, Rhonda and her partner merged their individual and small business accounting and tax practice with Rosen & Cohen LLC, a larger and more resourceful medium- sized accounting firm. She continues to work with the successor firm, serving existing and new clients.
For the past 24 years, Rhonda has served as an Adjunct Professor of Accounting at Loyola University’s Quinlan School of Business. She has also served as Associate Professor of Accounting at Mundelein College. Rhonda was the co-owner, with her late husband Zaven Kodjayan, and Chief Financial Officer of Zaven’s Fine Dining Restaurant.
Rhonda serves on the Education Advisory Task Force and Strategic Planning Committee with the Illinois Board of Examiners. Rhonda also serves on the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s Education Committee Subcommittee. And she contributes to accounting students and young professionals by submitting information and volunteering her time through the Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS).
Rhonda has also served as Vice President and Director of the Board for the ICPAS, as well as, Chairperson of the State of Illinois Prairie State 2000 Authority.
Rhonda has a passion for teaching. She is active with Chicago Community Trust and has been certified as a First Aid Instructor by the American Heart Association.
Dr. Petravick is a graduate from Loyola University of Chicago with a Bachelor’s degree, DePaul University with a Master’s degree in Accountancy, the University of Illinois at Chicago with a Doctorate of Philosophy and is also a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). He has worked in banking and accounting and currently teaches audit and computer assisted audit techniques to undergraduate and graduate students while serving as a professor in the Accounting Department at Bradley University (BU) located in Peoria, IL.
Dr. Petravick currently serves as the coordinator of BU’s Internal Audit Education Partnership Program, faculty advisor for BU’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, and as the Chair of the Education Advisory Task Force and Candidacy Committee for the Illinois Board of Examiners. He has also held leadership roles with the Illinois CPA Society and the Central Illinois Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors.
Dr. Petravick has been recognized as an Outstanding Academic Advisor in 2001 and 2010, Outstanding Faculty Advisor in 2001, Outstanding Student Organization Advisor in 1999, 2007, 2010 and 2012 and received the Outstanding Accounting Educator Award in 2010. When he is not in the classroom, he is researching and speaking on the uses of technology to improve accounting and auditing and publishing papers in academic journals.
Dr. Petravick is a husband and father of two children, who enjoys running marathons and actively supporting students with furthering their education.
Kent is a graduate of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy. Prior to starting his own firm, he worked at JE Fleming and Company CPA firm for fifteen years.
Kent’s Professional memberships and service include the American Institute of CPAs, the Illinois CPA Society’s Board of Directors, Member, CPA Endowment Fund Board of Directors, Member, Regulation and Legislation Committee, Chairman, Sunset Legislation Committee, Member, Agribusiness Committee, Chairman and Student Outreach Committee, Member in addition to serving as Chairman on Eastern Illinois University’s Accounting Advisory Board.
Kent is also significantly involved in the education of public school students. He has served on numerous school district Boards of Education and foundations holding various positions such as a member, treasurer and secretary. He has also held the President position for the Greater Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce as well as Secretary for the Philippine Churches of Christ of Northern Luzon, Philippines.
Lawrence holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy with high honors from DePaul University, a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law, and a Master of Law degree in Taxation from DePaul University. Formally, a partner for over 20 years at the DLA Piper LLP (US) law firm where he focused on the defense of corporate and business professionals, Mr. Wojcik is currently a partner with McDermott Will & Emery, LLP. Prior to his association with the law firms, Mr. Wojcik practiced as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a Chicago-based national CPA firm performing audit, tax and consulting services for public and private companies and governmental entities.
Currently Lawrence is a member of the Leadership Council of the Civic Consulting Alliance of Chicago. He is also a board member of the Uptown People’s Law Center and serves on Northwestern School of Law’s Bluhm Legal Clinic Advisory Board.
Lawrence has also served as Chair of the Illinois CPA Society, as well as Chair of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Professional Responsibility Conduct Committee and the Chicago Bar Association’s Professional Responsibility Committee. He was also appointed to the Illinois State Bar Association’s and the Chicago Bar Association’s Joint Committee on Ethics which made recommendations to the Illinois Supreme Court in 2010 for revisions to the Illinois’ Rules of Professional Conduct which governs the conduct of Illinois lawyers.
