The Chicago School Names Three New Trustees

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology recently named three outstanding business, professional, and community leaders to its Board of Trustees. They join the existing 12-member board of the 43-year-old non-profit educational institution, which serves 6,000 students on seven campuses nationwide.

“We are pleased to have such distinguished leaders join our board” said Dr. Michele Nealon, Psy.D., President of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. “These individuals have the skills and background to help us meet the challenges of preparing future mental health professionals, especially those interested in working in underserved communities.”

Sian Seligman of Los Angeles is the Chief Marketing Officer for Resonate Blends, a cannabis holding company and innovation lab that develops cannabis wellness products under the brand Koan.

She worked for two decades as a brand marketing and consumer strategist for Fortune 500 companies, gaining a deep understanding of the buying habits and psycho-social motivations of the American consumer.

In 2020, Seligman became the youngest person and first Asian American female to head the Board of Governors at the City Club Los Angeles, where she managed a major reorganization while retaining 85 percent of club membership in the midst of forced closure due to the pandemic.

Seligman holds an MS in Herbal Medicine from the American College of Healthcare Sciences and a BS in Business Administration from Cal Poly Pomona.

Eloisa Perard of Los Angeles is CEO & President of QueensCare Health Centers (QHC), a non-profit, Federally Qualified Community Health Center organization, with five health centers in underserved neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

“I look forward to adding my expertise to the board in generational trends and insights,” she said. “My goal is to bring diverse and innovative thinking about the future of higher learning, particularly mental wellness education.”

Perard has also held executive positions in education and manufacturing since earning an MS in Organizational Psychology and a BS in Organizational Management from the University of La Verne.

Perard serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of Community Clinics Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC), a non-profit network that advocates for expanding access to health care for the medically underserved people in Los Angeles County. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Health Care L.A. (HCLA), an Independent Physician Association (IPA).

Dina Torrisi Martin of Chicago is General Counsel of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, where she heads the Office of Legal Affairs. As counsel to the Secretary, Division Directors, and executive staff of this agency, she oversees litigation and administrative hearing decisions, and formulates policy decisions.

“As the pandemic surely highlighted, mental well-being is an imperative,” said Martin. “I am honored to become a trustee and look forward to working with the growing Chicago School community.”

She is a former partner and head of medical malpractice at Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd., where she represented hospitals and health professionals before regulatory agencies.

Torrisi Martin is an elected member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Society of Trial Lawyers, and other professional organizations. She earned a JD from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and a BA in Political Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.