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Friday, July 13, 2001
Contact: Peter Bailley
news@knox.edu
309-341-7715
Both Roger Taylor, appointed Interim President of Knox College, and John Podesta, appointed Interim Vice Chair and Counselor to the Interim President, are both Knox graduates. "Their willingness to assume these responsibilities on behalf of their alma mater at a time of institutional transition is inspiring," said Lawrence Breitborde, Dean of the College and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Taylor, a 1963 graduate, and Podesta, a 1971 graduate, were named to the positions following Richard Millman's announcement that he would step down as President of the College, effective September 1, to return to teaching and research.
Related Page: Announcement of Taylor and Podesta appointments
Roger Taylor earned his bachelor's degree in English at Knox and his law degree at Northwestern University. He has served on the Board of Trustees since 1988 and has been Chairman of the Board since 1999. Taylor retired in 1999 from the Chicago law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, where he remains Of Counsel.
Taylor is an experienced trial lawyer specializing in commercial litigation. He is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) and the ABA Section of Litigation. He has been published in the Journal of the ABA Section of Litigation and the San Diego Law Review.
After graduating from Knox in 1963, Taylor served in the United States Navy for three and one-half years, including a year in Viet Nam, before entering law school in 1968.
Taylor and his wife Anne, a 1963 alumna of Knox College, divide their time between homes in Chicago and a farm near Ellisville, Illinois.
John Podesta, who earned his bachelor's degree in psychology at Knox, was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2000. He received his law degree at Georgetown University Law Center, where he is currently Visiting Professor of Law, teaching courses in technology policy, congressional investigations, and public interest law.
Podesta has extensive experience in government and public affairs. Most recently he was the White House Chief of Staff under President Clinton. Prior to that he held positions as Deputy Chief of Staff and Staff Secretary in the Clinton Administration; counselor to the Democratic Leader; chief counsel to the Senate Agriculture Committee; chief minority counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittees on Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks; Security and Terrorism; and Regulatory Reform; and counsel to the majority staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Podesta has received an Alumni Achievement Award and an honorary doctorate from Knox. He gave the Commencement Address in June 1998 and the Opening Convocation Address in September 2000.
In 1988, he and his brother, Tony, founded Podesta Associates, Inc., a successful Washington, D.C. government relations and public affairs consulting firm. Podesta and his wife Mary have three children and live in suburban Washington, D.C.
Founded in 1837, Knox is an independent, four-year, liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with 1,220 students from 47 states and 41 nations. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.
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