Augustana Board of Trustees elects new members

Augustana College announces five new members of the college’s Board of Trustees. The trustees were selected during the college's May and October meetings of the board, and their terms officially started this fall. The new trustees will serve a term of four years.

Augustana President Andrea Talentino said the college has an extraordinary legacy of thoughtful, conscientious leadership on its board, and is gratified to see that tradition continue.

"Their individual résumés are of course very impressive," Talentino said. "Collectively, they represent a breadth of experience and perspective which, coupled with the depth of their commitment to the mission of higher education, make me very optimistic for the future of good governance at Augustana College."

Elected trustees

John Doonan '92

John Doonan '92 is the president of the International Motor Sports Association, and for 17 years was the director of motorsports for Mazda North America Operations, where he developed the overall strategy and managed Mazda’s motorsports programs in North America.
 

Mark Johnson '91

Mark Johnson '91 is the vice president of government affairs for Toyota, and the board chairman for both Congressional Sports for Charity and the House Chiefs of Staff Alumni Association. Previously, he served as chief of staff for Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), deputy chief of staff for Rep. Ed Bryant (R-TN), director of government affairs for Fluor Corporation, and legislative assistant for Rep. Don Sundquist (R-TN).
 

Collis R. Jones Jr. '88

Collis R. Jones Jr. '88 previously worked at Deere & Company for more than three decades, recently retiring as the vice president of government affairs, global policy & strategy. Jones now serves as president and CEO of CRJ Strategic Partners, in addition to serving on the board of directors for The Thurgood Marshall College Fund and The Congressional Award Foundation.
 

Beth Nelson '79 Smayda

Beth Nelson '79 Smayda co-founded the Northeast Women in Public Finance professional organization, was named a Trailblazing Woman in Public Finance by the Bond Buyer, and established her own financial advisory firm, Arcady Advisors in 2021, retiring in 2022. Additionally, Smaya has been a director for ACA Financial Guaranty Corporation, an assistant vice president in public finance at Moody’s Investors Service, and a councilwoman for White Plains Common Council. Smayda also serves on Augustana’s President’s Advisory Council.
 

LaDrina Wilson

LaDrina Wilson is the founder and CEO of Iman Consulting. Wilson has been named one of Iowa's 500 TOP Business Leaders by Corridor Business Journal, 2024 Woman of Influence by Quad Cities Business Journal (QCBJ), QCBJ’s 2022 Most Influential Leader in the Region, and 2024 Adinkra Distinguished Black Achiever honoree. Additionally, Willson is a Quad Cities Chamber board member and is the vice board chair for the Quad Cities Community Foundation.