ICCTA Ray Hartstein Trustee Achievement Award

2009 Recipient
Dr. Clare Ollayos
Elgin Community College

Since her election as an Elgin Community College trustee in 1995, Dr. Clare M. Ollayos has been dedicated to promoting student access and success, trustee development, and legislative advocacy.

As ICCTA's 2006-2007 president, she challenged members of the Illinois General Assembly "to be bold and be blunt" as they explored the expanding role of community colleges in the 21st century.

Elgin Community College trustee Dr. Clare Ollayos (middle)receives ICCTA's 2009 Ray Hartstein Trustee Achievement Award from ICCTA Honorary Member Ray Hartstein (left)and ICCTA president Jeff May.

Elgin Community College trustee Dr. Clare Ollayos (middle)
receives ICCTA's 2009 Ray Hartstein Trustee Achievement
Award from ICCTA Honorary Member Ray Hartstein (left)
and ICCTA president Jeff May.

She also led efforts to increase state funding of community colleges and to protect the local autonomy of local community college boards.

In addition, she continually seeks innovative ways to celebrate the successes of community colleges. As chair of ICCTA's Awards Committee, she proposed the creation of the Lifelong Learning Award and the Gary W. Davis Ethical Leadership Award.

Ollayos has presented workshops on board governance and leadership and core values at several national trustee conferences. In 2008 she earned her third ICCTA Trustee Education Award for her involvement in professional development activities.

Outside the educational arena, Ollayos is a chiropractic physician with offices in Elgin. She has served on the Elgin Public Museum Board since 1993 and is a past chair of the ECC Foundation and the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission. For 25 years she danced the solo role of The Magician in the Lisa Boehm Ballet Theatre's annual performance of "The Nutcracker.