NIU’s legal counsel gained a new member last Wednesday.

A graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Vickie Gillio brings more than two decades of experience with labor law, employment law, administrative law and educational law to NIU’s legal counsel.

Gillio is not only a trial lawyer, but also an experienced problem-solver, said NIU General Counsel Ken Davidson.

“She is going to add a lot of depth to the talent we already have,” he said. “Right now, I’m acting as the litigator, and it takes at least two.”

Gillio will participate in on-campus work with the development of defenses.

“Vickie’s primary job will be to work with the defense or pending lawsuits of the university,” Davidson said.

Gillio said she’s looking forward to becoming a part of the team.

“I had a strong interest in serving a public university, and I feel very fortunate to be able to practice in the same state that I received my law degree from,” she said. “I was also interested in the fact that the office of legal services works as a team.”

During her undergraduate days at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, she served as a student trustee. While at Illinois, she sat on a university-wide committee devoted to undergraduate educational reform, and later was part of the law school’s board of visitors.

During her professional career, Gillio spent a lot of time participating in issues relating to higher education, including three years as the general counsel for Waubonsee Community College.

Gillio said one of her goals is to utilize her experience in a variety of ways to serve NIU.

“I wanted to further develop a set of training programs and other things that would serve as preventative measures,” she said.