About Us
Pictured in front row (left to right): Rachael Johns, Jennifer Lindsay Sans, Medra Roberts-Southerland, Cherika Williams, Elizabeth Chominski.
Pictured in back row (left to right): Eugene G. Josephitis, Aaron Ketchum, Ronick Frazier, Colleen Hammel, Dale Billam, Rose Paul.
The Staff Advisory Council (SAC) consists of twelve elected members representing each of the staff job groups on campus (clerical and secretarial, skilled crafts and trades, executive/administrative and managerial, service and maintenance, and technical and paraprofessional) and appointed representatives from various campus groups. SAC acts in an advisory role and meets regularly with Illinois Human Resources.
SAC has always been active on committees affecting Staff employees’ work conditions, benefits, educational opportunities, and other activities that might impact them. Members of SAC have also sponsored concession stands at the Illini football games and have donated the proceeds to the Civil Service Employee and Dependent Scholarship Fund.
SAC was instrumental in getting the “non-academic” designation changed to “staff”. In 1991, the name of the Council was changed and they became the Staff Advisory Council. Today, SAC serves to review many changes in policy and procedure that concern staff employees.
SAC Welcomes Two New Representatives!
EEO 4
Neil Feuerhelm, Assistant Director of Classroom and Facilities Technology, Gies College of Business
Neil’s term will run from January 2026 – June 2027
EEO 5
Phil Coon, Office Support Specialist, Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Phil’s term will run from January 2026 – June 2028
On September 3, 2025, we honored Bridget Hillier, Senior Events Coordinator in the Gies College of Business and former President and Secretary of Staff Advisory Council, with the inaugural Staff Advisory Council Outstanding Service Award at our SAC September monthly meeting.
President Dale Billam presented the personalized star award and above and beyond signed card to her and stated the following:
“We honor Bridget Hillier with the SAC Outstanding Service Award… She served on Staff Advisory Council from 2017 – 2025, serving as President for two years and Secretary for two years during that span. As President, Bridget led the charge to re-establish SAC post-COVID and worked to develop modern policies to the SAC Bylaws… She led us through a huge staff transition at Illinois Human Resources… In addition, Bridget successfully took the lead in bringing back the All-Employee Expo… Bridget was also a huge proponent of increasing the number of SAC representatives from 8 to 12…”
Congratulations to Bridget! We thank her so much for her outstanding contributions to the Staff Advisory Council over the years. She is a rock star!
Constitution & Bylaws
Staff Advisory Council Members
SAC History
The Council was formed in 1942 by a group of employees interested in issues of importance to staff employees. The group was first called the University of Illinois Civil Service Committee. The primary function of the committee was to disburse campus vending machine funds. The committee sponsored an employee jamboree, bowling leagues, a scholarship for a dependent of a staff member, and helped establish the Recognition Program that honored employees with 25 or more years of continuous service.
In 1956, the Council reorganized and changed its name to the Nonacademic Employees Council. The committee’s stated purpose was to serve Staff employees and to effectively allocate and spend the campus vending machine proceeds.
In 1971, distribution of campus vending machine profit to students and staff was discontinued. Again, the Council changed directions. Its current charge is to work with the Director of Illinois Human Resources in the solution of problems relating to all Staff employees and provide a means of informing employees of issues of interest and importance to their jobs and benefits.
The Council has always been active on committees affecting Staff employees’ work conditions, benefits, educational opportunities, and other activities that might impact them. Members of the Council have also sponsored concession stands at the Illini football games and have donated the proceeds to the Civil Service Employee and Dependent Scholarship Fund.
The Council was instrumental in getting the “non-academic” designation changed to “staff”. In 1991, the name of the Council was changed and they became the Staff Advisory Council. Today the Council serves to review many changes in policy and procedure that concern Staff employees.
Hosted Council of Councils in October 2018.
Staff Advisory Council on Hiatus: In March 2020, an unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic shut down many initiatives on the University of Illinois campus, including the monthly meetings of the Staff Advisory Council. The Council held elections for open positions in Spring 2022, and reconvened in July 2022. In January 2023, an Illinois Human Resources liaison, Brian Farber, was appointed to guide the Council and keep them informed and consulted with them about Illinois Human Resources-related initiatives.
All-Employee Expo: After the hiatus, the Staff Advisory Council was determined to bring back the All-Employee Expo, to campus as a critical component of its mission. In the past, the All-Employee Expo was traditionally held at Illini Union, Rooms, A, B, and C, and was last held in October 2019. Members of the All-Employee Expo planning committee met monthly to lead the return of the Expo to be bigger and more impactful than it was previously.
On October 12, 2023, in conjunction with Illinois Human Resources and Council of Academic Professionals, the revitalized All-Employee Expo was held at State Farm Center. As IHR hired more staff, they determined that the Expo would be held every other year. At the second revitalized All-Employee Expo held on October 23, 2025, the All-Employee Expo helped to promote to employees the newly developed Illinois Value Proposition, i.e., what makes Illinois a special/unique place to work, along with an opportunity to learn what benefits and services are available to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign employees. SAC representatives volunteered in some of these IVP booths at the Expo.
Staff Advisory Council expanded from 8 to 12 representatives: In 2024, SAC voted to expand the Staff Advisory Council from 8 to 12 representatives to better reflect the size of the employee groups they serve after evaluation of employment group numbers on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. Staggered terms were still considered in this expansion of the Council. SAC now has four representatives in EEO 1 & 3 and A (Executive/Administrative/ Managerial/Professional Non-Faculty and Other Administrative), two representatives in EEO 4 (Technical and Paraprofessional), three representatives in EEO 5 (Administrative Support Workers), one representative in EEO 6 (Skilled Crafts/Trades), and two representatives in EEO 7 (Service/Maintenance).
Anniversary Awards: In September 2023, a proposal was submitted by a SAC representative to reinstate what was called the Long-Time Service Awards and Retiree Recognition event on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus that IHR hosted in the past (last held in October 2019), to be consistent with U of I Springfield and U of I Chicago campuses, and to reflect how events are conducted currently. The revitalization also addressed the delay in employees receiving their milestone service awards, where they often had to wait 6 months or more to receive them, and many without a formal recognition program in their units/departments. The update was spurred by the Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Awards and the Chancellor’s Academic Professional Excellence Awards being revamped in FY2023 to combine academic professional and civil service recognition. After the hiring of IHR’s new Assistant Chancellor for Culture, Learning and Engagement to lead this effort, the former event was analyzed and reinvigorated, and the Anniversary and Retirement Celebration Breakfast was held in February 2025 to celebrate the dedication and hard work of employees and enhance employee retention, and will be held annually following. In addition, the milestone gift program was also evaluated, and now digital certificates are available for the employee milestone celebrants to be downloaded on the first of the month, and the employee receives some options for Illinois branded milestone gifts, depending on their years of service.
Staff Professional Development Fund: In 2024, the Staff Advisory Council advocated for the inclusion of Civil Service employees in the long-standing Academic Professional Development Fund. Back in 2019, it was the beginning of many University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign employee groups being transitioned from Academic Professional classifications to Civil Service classifications, which took place over several years. This fund was successfully renamed and expanded and is now called the Staff Professional Development Fund. Its purpose is to help fund professional skill development opportunities to enhance employee experiences. SAC was pleased there were numerous Civil Service employees taking advantage of this opportunity for job growth. In FY2024, 55 Civil Service employees benefited from this opportunity, as well as 50 Academic Professionals, for a total of 105.
Staff Advisory Council Outstanding Service Award: In 2025, SAC created an award to celebrate outstanding, dedicated service by elected representatives to the Staff Advisory Council. It recognizes those that go above and beyond to contribute to the mission of service to the Council. The inaugural recipient was Bridget Hillier, who was a representative on the Council from 2017 – 2025, served as both President and Secretary, and led efforts to return SAC to make even more impact on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employee Advisory Committee
The Employment Advisory Committee (EAC) is a committee affiliated with the State Universities Civil Service System (SUCSS). Committee members represent their constituents by functioning in an advisory capacity to the Merit Board on “All matters pertaining to the University System.” EAC is made up of members who are elected by civil service employees.
The council’s main responsibilities include reviewing and making recommendations on issues related to civil service employment, classification and compensation, recruitment and selection, employee training and development, and employee relations. The EAC also reviews proposed changes to SUCSS rules and policies, and provides feedback and input to the SUCSS Executive Director and Board.