College of Lake County board fills 2 vacancies

The College of Lake County board has appointed Vaseem Iftekhar, a former executive at Abbott Laboratories, and Torrie Mark Newsome, a former Lake County assistant state's attorney and current defense attorney, to fill two vacancies.

Both men will be sworn in at the board meeting next month.

Iftekhar said Wednesday he believes that community colleges provide all Americans with a gateway to improving their economic status.

"If it is good for the student, it's good for the country, which is good for the economy," Iftekhar said.

Iftekhar, a member of the Daily Herald's advisory sounding board, said the college's relationship with local industries and businesses, which he described as good, should be further enhanced.

"It could be a two-way street where businesses can benefit and students can benefit," Iftekhar said.

Newsome is a past chair and former member of the CLC Lakeshore Advisory Committee. Newsome also taught Introduction to Paralegal Studies at CLC for 13 years.

Newsome said his mom and two of his three children are graduates of CLC.

"I am humbled and honored by this appointment, and I am ready to serve on the CLC board of trustees, which is committed to putting the needs of our students and our community first."

Iftekhar applied to fill a previous vacancy four years ago and unsuccessfully ran for a spot on the board in last year's election. Both men will serve as trustees until the April 2021 election.

The vacancies were created by the resignation of Catherine Finger and the death of Timothy Powell.