College of Lake County announces death of former President Jerry Weber

The College of Lake County announced on Friday the death of former college President Girard "Jerry" Weber, whom colleagues described as an advocate for diversity, inclusion and equity whose efforts resulted in national recognition for the Grayslake college.

Weber served as president from April 2009 through July 2017 before becoming the president of Bellevue College in Washington state. He died unexpectedly on Wednesday, according to a CLC spokeswoman.

"Dr. Weber's leadership in international education and sustainability left an important, lasting legacy at CLC," said current CLC President Lori Suddick in a prepared statement. "As a colleague of Jerry's ... I appreciated his warm personality and his passion for connecting with students. He will be missed."

Weber devoted much of his professional life to Illinois community colleges. He began his career in academia as a writing instructor at Harper College in Palatine. From there he held teaching and administrative positions at John Wood Community College in Quincy.

He then served as dean for academic support programs at Triton College in River Grove and was founding vice president of instruction at Heartland Community College in Normal. Before accepting the position at CLC, he served as president of Kankakee Community College.

Weber "guided the college through several major capital projects and was a major supporter of the college's sustainability efforts," said CLC board Chairman William M. Griffin in a prepared statement. "The board of trustees and College of Lake County express their sincere appreciation and gratitude to Jerry Weber for his years of service, leadership and dedication."