Quad Cities Community Foundation welcomes three new board members

Three new board members have joined the Quad Cities Community Foundation, adding to a diverse and committed group of leaders to the Quad Cities region’s largest source for community philanthropy.

Edward Cervantes, Thomas Thoms, and LaDrina Wilson were recently approved as new board members at the Community Foundation and began serving their first three-year term in January. Jill McLaughlin continues to serve as chairperson.

“Our board is comprised of knowledgeable, talented and fiercely dedicated members of our community who are committed to both their professional lives, and the ways in which they give back, in our community,” said President and CEO Sherry Ristau. “I am looking forward to the perspective, ideas and energy these new board members will bring as we continue our transformational work in the Quad Cities region.”

Cervantes, of Bettendorf, Iowa, is an attorney with Cervantes and Gordon, PLC, and is a member of the Iowa Association for Justice and the Iowa Association of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. He has previously served on the Community Foundation’s board of directors and chaired the scholarship committee. He helped establish the Quad Cities Mexican American Organization Scholarship at the Community Foundation.

He returns to the board with an interest in continuing to create opportunities for minorities. “I want to improve our community and establish equity and equality for minorities,” he said. 

Thoms, of Rock Island, Illinois, is the former CEO of Thoms Proestler Company. He has also served as CEO of Genesis Robotics Systems and currently advises for-profit and nonprofit organizations on long-term planning. He has served on various nonprofit boards, including Junior Achievement of the Heartland, Bethany for Children and Families, Trinity Health Enterprises, International Food Distributors Association, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, and the Child Abuse Council. 

Thoms has served on the Community Foundation’s investment committee and recently helped reengineer the Community Foundation’s investment model. He said he is fully committed to the Community Foundation’s mission. “It fits well within my goals to contribute something to our community,” he said. 

Wilson, who is the dean of students at Eastern Iowa Community College, grew up in the Quad Cities and lives in Davenport, Iowa. She currently serves on the governance committee for the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the chamber’s board of directors.

“I see the Community Foundation as an organization that has invested in the growth of our community and is committed to its citizens,” she said. “We’ll continue to play an important role in the advancement of our regional community through this work. Young professionals need to be involved in the work early so they can contribute and carry out the vision. I’m glad to be part of this.”

Ristau said the makeup of the board reflects the Community Foundation’s desire to continue to represent and champion people from all walks of life. “We are committed to philanthropic opportunities for people of all backgrounds, and having a board that reflects the diversity of our community,” Ristau said. “I am honored to work with such an awesome group of community leaders and professionals who volunteer to serve, oversee the growth of our assets, and make grants to transform the region through the generosity of thousands of donors dedicated to the Quad Cities.”

Edward Cervantes, Thomas Thoms, and LaDrina Wilson were recently approved as new board members at the Community Foundation and began serving their first three-year term in January.