4/16/2009 Laurel Bollinger, ECE ILLINOIS
The San Francisco Bay Area used to be home two Illinois alumni groups. However, in 2008 these groups merged into one, which currently has around 1,500 members. ECE alumnus Phillip Lachman (BSEE ’04) is the vice president of events, South Bay, for the group.
Written by Laurel Bollinger, ECE ILLINOIS
The San Francisco Bay Area used to be home two Illinois alumni groups. However, in 2008 these groups merged into one. The new club pulls together members and resources to create a network with one major commonality: a degree from the University of Illinois.
ECE alumnus Phillip Lachman (BSEE '04) is the vice president of events for the Bay Area and is on an executive board with 14 members. Lachman said that this new club is a huge asset, and has so far been successful over the few months that it has been running.
“It had been coming together since September and October, and the kickoff to our new Web site began with a launch party on November 19,” said Lachman. “It was a great event and a great start to our club.”
The group currently has around 1,500 members. Among the groups events are lectures in which faculty from the University will discuss their research areas and what is happening on campus. The group also sponsors online job boards and community boards for members to chat. There are monthly happy hours, a trip to Napa for wine tasting, baseball and football games, and a museum tour.
“All of these events and services help to set the foundation to forge new relationships and friendships among our alumni,” said Lachman. “Our whole mission was to create a warm and friendly environment for our alumni community, and I think are well on our way to achieving just that.”
Lachman said that the idea for the group got started when Roland Geisler, a 2000 graduate of the University, started up the Silicon Valley Illini Club. There was already one other legacy alumni group, The Golden Gate Illini Club, that served the San Francisco and Oakland area. When the two clubs combined, the board of the new group was quickly filled with motivated alumni.
The new group’s Web site contains all the group’s information and an event listings. It took about 6 weeks to put together and has been a great tool for the club to further serve its members.
Lachman said that so far all feedback and events have been very positive and that the club is progressing very well. However, it is something that requires constant work to be successful
“Everyone has been enthusiastic of the club’s progress,” said Lachman. “But it is something that could easily be lost if we don’t keep working to evolve and serve our members. I know this can be a huge success if we continue to keep moving forward in serving the needs of our alumni.”
More information on the San Francisco Bay Alumni Club is found at their Web site:
www.sfbayillini.org. The group is affiliated with the University of IllinoisAlumni Association.