IIN Council Meeting Recap - Sept. 23, 2025

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Innovation Network (IIN) held its September council meeting Tuesday at Innovate Springfield’s new location inside the Horace Mann Building.

The meeting, which included more than 40 people on location and several more virtually, opened with outgoing council chair Denise Cobb giving parting remarks to wrap up her year at the helm. She was thanked for her leadership and coordination during the past year, while serving as a champion for initiatives throughout her tenure as IIN Council Chair. 

The council then welcomed incoming council chair Chris Merrett to his new position, followed by a vote to add Michael Bedell as IIN executive committee at-large member. The 2025-26 IIN executive committee is now set: 

• Chair – Chris Merrett, Western Illinois University
• Vice Chair – Craig McLauchlan, Illinois State University
• Secretary – Laretta Henderson, Eastern Illinois University
• Member at Large – Michael Bedell, Northeastern Illinois University
• Full 2025-26 IIN Council

Following the leadership updates, other meeting highlights included: 

• Teams from the Illinois Broadband Lab (IBL), EnergySense Resilience Center, and Connecting Minority Communities ABE-LINC Project were introduced to the council members. 
• Innovate Springfield’s Rob Kerr showed the council their new home at the Horace Mann Building.
• Falling Walls Lab Illinois winner Anthony Wong gave his winning pitch.
• The council heard from EnergySense associate Director Todd Rusk on ways his team can integrate with IIN hubs. 
• New IIN council chair Chris Merrett discussed proposed IIN priorities for 2025-26, which included: 
  • Ways to elevate IIN and IIN member innovation efforts through marketing
  • Ongoing support for collaborative research, outreach and teaching
  • Increased academic research and outreach leadership engagement among IIN members
  • Marketing IIN at multiple scales and geographies
  • Increased focus on innovation at the student level
• IIN Executive Director Jeannette Tamayo proposed changes to multiple bylaws that would change the IIN working committee structure and transition it to a community of practice model, and also to create the cabinet-level position of Immediate Past Chair for the most recent IIN Council Chair to offer continued guidance. The changes will be up for a vote at the IIN’s November meeting.

The IIN council meets several times throughout the academic year to discuss initiatives and planning for the network and each of its 15 hubs. The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 6, 2025, and will be held virtually.