STATE

Art wanted for state’s bicentennial celebration

Local artists are invited to enter their work for possible inclusion in a juried fine art exhibit being held to celebrate Illinois’s Bicentennial. The exhibit will be held at Gallery Seven, located in the historic Gaylord Building in Lockport, in October.

All artists of Illinois, 18 and older, can submit their work by Aug. 15. The prospectus can be found at galleryseven.net. All media except film and video are welcome.

Gallery Seven is managed by a group of local artists at 200 W. 8^th St., Lockport. The gallery is open free to the public Noon-5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, and Noon-3 p.m. Sunday.

Olsen has survey for constituents

State Rep. David S. Olsen (R-Downers Grove) invites all residents of the 81^st Legislative House District to complete his 2018 summer survey. The survey will be mailed to households in the district in the coming weeks as part of an End of Session Report, and it can also be accessed at ilhousegop.org/olsensurvey2018.

The survey includes six multiple choice questions and an open response area where additional concerns can be shared. Participants will also be offered an opportunity to subscribe to an E-newsletter that will include updates on legislation and other issues affecting DuPage and Will counties and the state.

Survey responses will be accepted through Oct. 31.

The 81^st House District includes parts of Lisle, Downers Grove, Naperville, Woodridge, Darien and Westmont. Go to repolsen.com to see if you live in the district.

COUNTY

DuPage wins award for outstanding budget work

DuPage County has received a Distinguished Budget Award from the Government Finance Officers Association, the highest form of recognition in government budgeting.

The county’s budget is reviewed annually by the Government Finance Officers Association to assess how well it meets nationally recognized guidelines as a policy document, financial plan, an operations guide and a communications device. The award covers the Fiscal Year 2018 budget, starting Dec. 1, 2017.

The Budget Awards Program receives more than 1,600 entries. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA’s website. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

Government Finance Officers Association is a major professional association that provides training and services to more than 19,000 appointed and elected local, state and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners.

NAPERVILLE

Transportation is theme of children’s exhibit

The big vehicles that are often featured in children’s stories will be part of the DuPage Children’s Museum’s Transportation Celebration July 28 in Naperville.

Special activities will take place throughout the day, such as testing paper airplanes and parachutes and building vessels for the museum’s stream table.

The museum strives to create opportunities for children to problem-solve and discover materials in new ways and to be creative.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) concepts will be explained through transportation, such as buoyancy with boats and air resistance with parachutes. Children can learn about energy through vehicles and things that move.

One such very tangible opportunity is the Touch-a-Truck display from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in the museum’s parking lot where visitors can peruse a variety of vehicles.

Some of the vehicles in the exhibit will be an International Class 8 Series truck from Navistar, cement mixer from Ozinga, residential garbage truck from Groot and wheel loader from Naperville Public Works.

Transportation Celebration will be held 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the museum, 301 N. Washington St., Naperville. Tickets are $12 for adults and children 1 year and older and $10 for senior citizens. For more information, call 630-637-8000 or go to dupagechildrens.org.

Betsy Ackerson

WHEATON

High school has new president

An educator who sued her former employer for pay discrimination has been hired as the new president of St. Francis High School in Wheaton. Betsy Ackerson will assume her new duties at the Catholic high school July 23.

Attorneys are attempting to settle a discrimination lawsuit the former assistant vice provost at the University of Virginia filed against the school. Ackerson sued in 2017, claiming in court documents that the university knowingly paid her less than her male counterparts since her hiring in 2012. She also claimed in the suit that officials reassigned her to a smaller office space and lowered her performance ratings after she complained about the situation.

On July 2, a federal judge granted joint motions to stay proceedings and cancel a jury trial, according to court documents.

At the University of Virginia, Ackerson was assistant vice provost and project manager for strategic planning. Before her time there, Ackerson worked in Ireland as the co-principal of a venture to start a Catholic, liberal arts, higher education institution. She served in a variety of roles at the College of William and Mary and Sweet Briar College including fundraising for a $115 million capital campaign, communications and marketing, admissions, alumni relations, and external affairs.

Ackerson began her career as a high school youth minister. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Duke University, an MBA from the College of William and Mary Mason School of Business, and a PhD in higher education administration from the University of Virginia. Her dissertation was on Catholic culture and student spiritual development in Catholic higher education. 

St. Francis, in its 62nd year, recently completed major investments in academic and athletic facilities and in technology. Last year, the school was named a Microsoft Showcase School for its innovative use of Surface Pros and other technology in the classroom. 

–DuPage County News Briefs–