Jim has a passion for community service having served on dozens of boards over the past decade. Professionally, James “Jim” Reed, Jr. became the Illinois Community College Trustees Association’s sixth Executive Director in 2019. Prior to joining ICCTA, Reed served as Director of Government Relations for the Illinois Education Association, representing 131,000 teachers and education support professionals across the state of Illinois. He also served as Deputy Legislative Director for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan from 2002-2006 and as Legislative Director for Citizen Action/Illinois. Reed attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, where he received a B.S. degree. He received a Juris Doctor from the Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. Upon completion of his studies, Reed worked as a judicial clerk for the Michigan Supreme Court under Dennis Archer and Conrad Mallett, Jr. He resides in Springfield and has three children.