AU Welcomes New Board Members

Aurora University welcomes five new members to the Board of Trustees. The incoming trustees bring a diverse range of experiences, backgrounds, and global perspectives to the board, including expertise in healthcare, education, finance, and social impact.

Tom Choice joined the board in 2020. He has served as president of both Rosary High School in Aurora and Kishwaukee College in Malta, as well as vice president of academic affairs at Harper College in Palatine. Choice currently serves on the board of Goodheart-Willcox Publishers and is an adjunct instructor at Aurora University, teaching in the EdD program. He is an assistant track and cross-country coach at Benet Academy in Lisle. He earned a BA in English and Speech from the University of Michigan and an MA in Communication Studies and an EdD in Higher Education Administration from Northern Illinois University. Choice and his wife, Susan, reside in Batavia, and have three grown children.

David Edelman joined the board in 2020. He is a partner at PMR Inc., a sales and marketing firm in Oswego founded by his father in 1967. Edelman has worked for PMR Inc. since his 1991 graduation from Nebraska Wesleyan University, where he earned a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in management. He has been active in local campaigns in support of the local school district and fire department as well as the Americans for Peace Now movement. Edelman and his wife, Jill, live in Oswego and have two college-age daughters, Olivia and Annie.

Amir Kirkwood ’94 joined the board in 2021. He has spent his career largely in community and economic development, finance, banking, and private investment. He is currently the chief investment and network officer at Opportunity Finance Network in Washington, D.C. Kirkwood also serves on the boards of Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, ROC USA, RSF Social Finance, Pacific Community Ventures, and Partners for the Common Good. He and his wife, Sheila, live in Arlington, Virginia, with their daughters, Noelle and Isabella.

Hilary Rantisi ’93 joined the board in 2021. She is the associate director of the religion, conflict and peace initiative, and senior fellow of the religion and public life program at Harvard Divinity School. She also serves on the board of the Gaza Mental Health Foundation. In her various roles, Rantisi uses her bilingual and bicultural (Arabic/English/Middle East) communication skills to develop networks with government representatives, faculty, students, NGO leaders, and other stakeholders to achieve meaningful impact. After receiving her BS in Political Science and International Studies at AU, she earned a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Chicago. Rantisi and her husband, Paul, reside in Somerville, Massachusetts.

MaryMargaret Sharp-Pucci ’83 GWC joined the board in 2021. Sharp-Pucci has extensive experience in healthcare policy and administration and education. She currently serves as the associate dean for academic affairs at the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health at Loyola University Chicago. She is also on the board of directors of ViMedicus Inc. and serves on the State of Illinois Task Force on Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities. After earning a bachelor’s degree in education from Northern Illinois University, she was awarded an MS in Exercise Physiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation from George Williams College. She also holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an EdD from Northern Illinois University. She and her husband, Gregory, reside in Chicago.