NIU alumnus Wheeler G. Coleman is the most recent addition to the NIU Board of Trustees (BOT).

Wheeler was appointed Dec. 19, said Paul Palian, Director of Media and Public Relations.

Palian explained the purpose of the BOT.

“A board of trustees is basically a board of directors,” Palian said. “They are charged with leading the university forward.”

Wheeler graduated from NIU in 1983 with a degree in applied data processing before receiving a master’s from the University of Notre Dame, according to an NIU Today article.

“Northern changed my life,” Coleman said in the article. “I got a great education and developed some skills that allowed me to be very successful in the business world.”

Coleman currently works at Heath Care Service Corporation as the vice president and chief technology officer.