Our not-for-profit foundation is led by a dedicated group of community leaders and educators, committed to building a foundation that serves all children and all families in North Chicago. Together this group of directors has decades of service in both elementary and college level educational leadership, community organizing and management.
Board of Directors & Staff
Randal Riley
President
Randal Riley is a mission-driven leader, community builder, and entrepreneur dedicated to empowering families, youth, and local businesses throughout Lake County and beyond. As the Founder of DJ Randal Entertainment, he has transformed music and event production into a platform for connection, education, and opportunity—bringing people together through celebration and service.
A lifelong advocate for equity and access, Randal served for 12 years with North Chicago Community Partners, developing partnerships between schools, volunteers, and corporations that strengthened families and fueled student success. Today, he continues to collaborate with organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Lake County, the ReNew Communities Initiative, and numerous local schools—using creativity, mentorship, and entrepreneurship as tools for lasting impact.
Randal’s leadership reflects his belief that when communities invest in their people, everyone rises. Grounded in faith, family, and purpose, he leads with heart and vision—committed to inspiring the next generation to dream, create, and lead.
Randal and his family have resided in North Chicago for 7 years. Randal is the father of a Warhawk Lancer alumna who graduated from CLC in Spring of 2025 and is pursuing her degree in nursing at Chamberlain University.
Tara Cook
Vice President
Tara Cook is an educator, student advocate, and restorative practices leader whose work is grounded in building stronger school communities through relationships, accountability, and belonging. As a doctoral candidate at Concordia University–Chicago, she demonstrates a deep commitment to scholarship, professional growth, and lifelong learning, drawing on both academic preparation and extensive professional experience in service of students, families, and schools. Over the course of her career in Lake County education, she has worked to expand opportunities for young people and support school environments that are equitable, caring, and centered on student success.
Tara currently serves as Restorative Practices Coordinator and Student Support Lead at North Chicago Community High School, helping shape systems that strengthen school culture and support student growth. She also serves as Teen REACH Program Coordinator through Employee Connections, Inc., where she helps create meaningful opportunities for youth leadership, mentorship, and personal development.
Rooted in family, service, and community, Tara’s leadership reflects a strong commitment to giving back to the city and schools that have shaped her journey. Following the example of her mother, Dora King, Tara is proud to carry forward a legacy of investing in public education and championing opportunities for the students and families of North Chicago.
David Urbina
Treasurer
Mr. Urbina is the Vice President of Treasury Management at Wintrust, working in the communities of Zion, Waukegan, Gurnee, Mundelein, Libertyville, McHenry, Wauconda, Crystal Lake, and Algonquin. His customer base includes school districts, villages, and park districts, as well as business owners. He holds Series 6 and 63 Security Licenses to sell investment products.
Prior to joining Wintrust, Mr. Urbina spent 19 years at BMO Harris, beginning as a teller at 18 years old and progressing to hold almost every job at the bank.
Following his graduation from Round Lake High School, Mr. Urbina enrolled at the College of Lake County. As a first generation college student, he had difficulty navigating course selection and enrollment. He left the College after one year, earning just a handful of credits. A few years after joining BMO Harris, he returned to the College of Lake County and earned his Associate degree in 2009. He transferred to Southern Illinois University, where he earned additional credits.
Mr. Urbina has been volunteering in the community for decades. His service is rooted in community economic well-being and health. He has served on the Board of Mano a Mano and the Fox Lake Chamber of Commerce, where he also served as Treasurer for four years. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.
David and his wife have raised four children.
Dr. Vince Iturralde
Secretary
Dr. Iturralde is the Chief Operations Officer for North Chicago School District 187, overseeing the district’s operations, security, facilities and school leadership. In the past, Vincent’s work has included being an Educational Leadership Consultant, a Leadership Coach for the University of Illinois Center for Urban Education Leadership, Part-Time Adjunct Professor at University of Illinois Urbana/ Champaign and Concordia University. Prior to these positions, Dr. Iturralde was the founding principal of the Tarkington School of Excellence, where he successfully coached and mentored 18 individuals that would become outstanding principals and district leaders.
He has his Educational Doctorate and Master of Education from the University of Illinois in Chicago, focusing on urban school leadership and transformative change. He was an educator in the Chicago Public Schools system for 20 years teaching science, social studies, sixth grade and technology in high-minority inner-city schools. He has also worked as a district-level Technology Coordinator and as a School Improvement Coordinator closely monitoring School Improvement Plans and discretionary spending for several schools.
Dr. Iturralde was also selected as a 2008 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and in 2009 received the Re-Generation Award for Excellence in Environmental Education by the U. S. Department of Green Building Council. He is also an active member of the Illinois Principals Association and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
Patrick Basler
Patrick Basler is a veteran credit union executive, currently serving as Chief Experience Officer at Great Lakes Credit Union. He has held this position since 2022, serving on the Executive Leadership Team charged with overall organizational oversight, strategy development, and goal accomplishment. He has direct oversight of multiple departments, including Marketing & Branding, Member Experience, Member Contact Center, and GLCU’s 501(c)(3) Foundation.
He serves as the Board Chair of GLCU Foundation for Financial Empowerment (GLCUFFE), a public charity that serves as the philanthropic arm of GLCU. GLCUFFE delivers HUD-certified counseling and community volunteer and sponsorship activities. He serves a dual role as Chairperson of the Board of Directors and operational leader of the team of Foundation employees. GLCUFFE is one of the largest HUD agencies in Illinois, and one of only five credit unions nationwide that offer HUD-certified counseling.
Prior to joining GLCU, he held leadership roles at Illinois Credit Union System, First Financial Credit Union, Focus Credit Union Wauwatosa, and First Municipal Credit Union West Allis.
Patrick received his Bachelor of Business Administration, Double Major: Finance & Marketing, from UW Milwaukee and obtained multiple professional certifications as well as an Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership fromCornell University.
Patrick has served on numerous professional boards and commissions, including the Governor’s Task Force on Financial Education. He and his family have lived in Round Lake Heights since 2007. He has volunteered locally with the park district as a coach, Feed My Starving Children, and Meals on Wheels for Visiting Nurses Association.
Dr. Constance Collins
Constance Rupert Collins is a native of Gary, Indiana. She received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Speech and Hearing Therapy, a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in Speech Pathology from Indiana University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) in Communication Disorders with an emphasis in Stuttering Therapy from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Collins later obtained principal and superintendent certificates while enrolled at Grand Valley State University.
She has held numerous positions in K-12 administration including Special Education Supervisor, Special Education Director, Elementary Principal, and Area Superintendent in the Grand Rapids area; Superintendent, Zion Elementary School District 6; Superintendent of Oak Park Elementary School District 97; Superintendent of Round Lake Area Schools, Community Unit School District #116, and interim superintendent in Lake Forest Districts 67 and 115. She now serves as interim superintendent, North Chicago CUSD 187.
Dr. Collins is a repeat presenter for the National Council on Educating Black Children (NCEBC) and the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) and is Co-Founder/Director of the NABSE Aspiring Superintendents Summer Institute.
Dr. Collins has served as a board member for a number of organizations including: The District Administration Leadership Institute (DALI), YWCA of Lake County, SJCB Performing Arts Center, Lake County High Schools Technology Campus, Northern Lake County Conference, ECRA Advisory Board, Fox Lake/Round Lake Rotary Club, Round Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, Round Lake Area Exchange Club, and the Chicago Music Association.
Dr. Collins has received numerous awards and recognitions, including Phi Delta Kappa Award - Recognition of Extraordinary Dedication and Commitment to Education (2003); National Council on Educating Black Children - Educator of the Year (2006); Cognitive Concepts, Inc. - Excellence in Education Award - (2006); distinguished “Women of Power”- Alpha Kappa Alpha (2009); National Alliance of Black School Educators-“Phenomenal Woman” award (2009); NABSE Co-Superintendent of the Year Award (2011); AASA Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award (2012); Greenbelt Cultural Center Profiles in Excellence (2013); the Most Influential African Americans of Lake County ”Vision” Award (2014); the Most Influential African American of Lake County (2017); the Lake County Housing Authority Distinguished Leadership Award, (2017); Indiana University Alumni Association - Neal Marshall Alumni Club’s Divine Nine Exemplar Award (2017), (ISBE) School Administrator of Excellence - Those Who Excel Award (2018), and Lake County Superintendent of the Year (2018.)
Dr. Myra Gaytán-Morales
Dr. C. Myra Gaytán-Morales is the Executive Director and Dean at the University Center of Lake County. For over 23 years, she has served at the University Center in multiple leadership roles, having also worked as the Director of their Waukegan facility. As an innovative, respectful, and passionate leader with exceptional interpersonal and professional skills she has focused on student recruitment-advising, retention, program development, fundraising, outreach, legislative affairs, nonprofit organizations, networking, and community service.
Born in Mexico and immigrating to the United States at the age of 14, Dr. Gaytán-Morales is a first generation degree seeker in her family, earning her Associates of Arts in criminal justice from the College of Lake County, Bachelor of Arts in political science from DePaul University, Master of Arts in Higher Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University, and her Doctorate from Illinois State University, focusing on factors that contribute to college completion by Latino/a/x students who began their post-secondary education at a community college. Her dissertation titled “Pathways to a Brighter Future: Narratives of Latino Students’ Perceptions at Community College”.
Her continued work from this research is evident in her passion to help Latino/a/x youth reach their goals towards a degree by conducting different community outreach projects (countywide Financial Aid Campaign-FAFSA completion workshop series, Familias en Education Conference, the Taste of College), and strong data collection for program improvement.
Dr. Gaytan-Morales is an active member of her community. She has held and holds various leadership roles on boards throughout Lake County (i.e., Waukegan Public Library, Cristo Rey Saint Martin de Porres College Preparatory High School, National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of Lake County, Coalicion Latinos Unidos of Lake County (CLULC), College of Lake County Lake Shore Campus Advisory Board, Illinois Council on Continuing Higher Education (ICCHE),Financial Oversight Panel at the North Chicago Community Unity District 187, Our Lady of Humility’s Principal Advisory Council Board).
Dr. Gaytán-Morales, her husband and daughter reside in Lake County Illinois.
Dora King
Mrs. King has spent most of her adult life in North Chicago. She has married a North Chicago graduate, and all three of her children are North Chicago graduates.
Mrs. King has dedicated countless hours to serving others in North Chicago. Her volunteerism includes 10 years as chairperson of the state appointed Independent Authority, overseeing District 187. Additionally she has served as a Director at Large on the Lake County Division Executive Committee of the Illinois Association of School Boards, and on the Select Committee of the SEDOL Governing Board. Her volunteering has extended into the community through her leadership of the Womens’ Auxiliary from 2009-2012 and as a member of the Lakeshore Baptist District Association.
Professionally, Mrs. King served as project management professional for AT&T for over 11 years and as a trainer and supervisor at Abbott Labs for 14 years. Mrs. King retired in 2008. Mrs. King has received degrees from Loyal University, College of Lake County, and Waukegan Township High School. Her passions include singing and music, and of course, her two great granddaughters.
Dr. Keith Turner
A distinguished NCCHS alumnus, Keith Turner is a leader whose career has been defined by a deep-seated commitment to District 187. Having served the district for many years, he brings a unique, "student-first" perspective shaped by his previous roles as Director of Athletics and Activities, Assistant Principal, and Dean of Students. This extensive history within the halls of NCCHS gives him an intimate understanding of the students, staff, and families he now leads as Principal.
Dr. Turner’s leadership is supported by an impressive academic background that reflects his dedication to educational excellence. He holds a PhD in Educational Leadership with a Superintendent Endorsement from Concordia University of Chicago, complemented by master’s degrees in Educational Leadership and Administration from the American College of Education and in Education from Quincy University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This blend of local roots and high-level expertise positions him as a visionary leader capable of driving academic and cultural growth within the district.
Tracey Horwich
Executive Director
Tracey Horwich joined NCPEF n 2023 as its first Executive Director, leading fundraising, program development, board engagement, and community partnerships. With more than 25 years in philanthropy, she has served as a fundraiser, grantmaker, and strategic advisor to family foundations. Her career includes roles with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United Stationers Charitable Foundation, and Strategic Philanthropy. She graduated cum laude from The George Washington University with a degree in Political Communication.
Mary Kenney
Director of Student Success
Mary Kenney is the Director of Student Success for NCPEF, where she leads efforts to empower first-generation and underrepresented students to achieve equitable access to postsecondary education and success through the Warhawk Lancer Scholarship program. With over a decade of experience in education, Mary draws on her background as a high school and college counselor to provide holistic, data-driven support to a growing number of North Chicago Community High School graduates attending the College of Lake County in Lake County, Illinois. After beginning her post-secondary education at the College of Lake County, Mary earned her BA from Marquette University and her MA in School Counseling from Concordia University.
Are you interested in joining our board or joining our group of amazing donors? Please reach out to one of our current board members today. We would love to speak with you about opportunities to support our mission and join our board.
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