Oakton Board of Trustees Reorganizes Leadership; Theresa Bashiri-Remetio Selected as Chair
Oakton Board of Trustees Reorganizes Leadership; Theresa Bashiri-Remetio Selected as Chair
Theresa Bashiri-Remetio selected as the new Oakton College Board of Trustees Chair.
Des Plaines, Ill. (April 22, 2026) - The Oakton College Board of Trustees selected Morton Grove resident Theresa Bashiri-Remetio to become Board Chair for a one-year term during its meeting on April 21. The Board also selected Evanston resident William Stafford to serve as vice-chair, and Evanston resident Wendy B. Yanow, Ed.D., as secretary.
“It’s an honor to serve as chair of the Oakton College Board of Trustees,” said Bashiri-Remetio. “Together with my fellow trustees and College leadership, I look forward to advancing our Vision 2030 Strategic Plan and its bold commitment to building just and thriving communities — while honoring the trust placed in us by our students, families, and the broader community we serve.”
Elected as an Oakton College Trustee in April 2023, Bashiri-Remetio is a Filipino-Persian American who spent her formative years in the Philippines, where her grandmother raised her. Her experience navigating new cultures and environments shaped her understanding of the importance of inclusion, representation and allyship.
Professionally, Bashiri-Remetio has held roles in accounting, enterprise portfolio management, revenue assurance, strategy planning and analysis, and enterprise testing and quality assurance (ET&QA). She currently serves as senior program manager of business operations supporting Monetization and Strategic Partnerships at Motorola Mobility, a Lenovo Company. She holds a Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.) in Higher Education Administration and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from Northern Illinois University.
Bashiri-Remetio is also a part owner of Avalanche Bubble Tea, which has deepened her passion for supporting and advocating for small businesses and local economic development. A mother of three, she remains actively involved in her community through the Golf 67 PTA, leadership of Girl Scout Troop 41310, and volunteer service with the production team at Chicago Tabernacle.
Prior to the restructuring, trustee Martha Burns, Evanston, served as the Board’s Chair, Bashiri-Remetio as Vice Chair, and Stafford as Board Secretary. Oakton’s seven-member Board of Trustees also includes Marie Lynn Toussaint, J.D., Evanston, Benjamin Salzberg, Glenview, and Micah J. Eimer, M.D., Glenview.
Jose San Martin, Des Plaines, joins the board as a student trustee, having been elected by Oakton’s student body to serve a one-year term in this role.
