Gov. JB Pritzker has appointed longtime civic leader, philanthropist and retired physician Bryan S. Traubert to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees.
Traubert practiced ophthalmology in Chicago for more than 30 years and is chairman of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation and chair of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust. He is also a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
Pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate, Traubert will fill the seat vacated by Patricia Brown Holmes. His term will run through Jan. 20, 2031.
Board of Trustees Chairman Jesse Ruiz noted that Traubert’s medical background will allow him to contribute key expertise to the board’s oversight role.
“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Traubert to the board. He will bring a wealth of experience and critical insight to the University of Illinois System in our role as the state’s largest public medical educator and one of its most important health care providers,” Ruiz said. “As an alumnus, I know he has a deep appreciation for just how important our academic health enterprise is to the people of Illinois and will work to maintain and strengthen it in the years ahead.”
U of I System President Tim Killeen welcomed Traubert to the board.
“With his University of Illinois College of Medicine degree and deep commitment to civic engagement and service, Dr. Traubert is living the life of impact that we so often tell our students higher education makes possible,” Killeen said. “I am honored to welcome him and look forward to working together to maintain the high standards of excellence that make the education we offer a real value for students and make the U of I System an unparallelled asset for all of Illinois. I also want to thank the governor for appointing an alumnus whose professional accomplishments align with critical areas of board oversight.”
Traubert said he looks forward to collaborating with fellow trustees and leaders from across the U of I System.
"I’m honored to join the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and support its mission of world-class teaching, groundbreaking research and broad public service," Traubert said. "I look forward to working with my fellow trustees to ensure the university continues to thrive and open doors for future generations."
Traubert is a Democrat who graduated with an MD in 1981 from the University of Illinois College of Medicine Chicago campus. He is also a graduate of The Citadel (BS ’77) and was a fellow in clinical medical ethics at the University of Chicago and a fellow in Stanford University’s Distinguished Careers Institute.
He has also long been active in the civic life of Chicago and the country.
Traubert chairs the Pritzker Traubert Foundation. The foundation, which he co-founded with his wife, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, is dedicated to equalizing opportunity in Chicago.
Traubert also chairs the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust, which works to build a Chicago region where equity is central and opportunity and prosperity are in reach for all.
He serves on Loyola University’s Board of Trustees, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Board of Directors and Steppenwolf Theatre’s Board of Trustees.
In addition, Traubert founded Take the Field, which built artificial turf fields in Chicago’s underserved communities, and served as president of the Chicago Park District Board.
He has also served as chair of the National Park Foundation board, as a trustee at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and as a member of the White House Fellows Commission.
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees oversees the U of I System and its universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. The board has 13 members, 11 of whom vote. The governor appoints nine trustees, and no more than five may belong to a single political party.
