(This story was updated to add new information.)
Winnebago County’s latest appointment to the Community Mental Health Board has withdrawn her nomination after it had been scrutinized by some board members.
County Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli during a Thursday night board meeting said that Terri Hitzke of Loves Park no longer wanted to be considered for the four-year appointment “for reasons that she is going to put in a letter to the county board chairman and to the county board about what she has had to endure during this process.”
Before Thursday night, Hitzke’s appointment had been delayed after some board members raised questions about her qualifications and background. According to her resume, Hitzke is a self-employed career, relationship and life coach who has a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Illinois State University.
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Chiarelli said he looked into concerns that had been raised and ultimately decided they were unfounded. Chiarelli had planned to bring her appointment back to the County Board floor on Thursday night.
Hitzke has not returned phone and email messages seeking comment.
She was to replace Mental Health Board Member Mohammad Yunus, who was appointed in spring 2023 to serve the remainder of an expired term.
Yunus said he intends to contact Chiarelli and tell him he would like to remain on the board. Yunus said he is putting his more than 30 years of experience in the mental health field and background in business to work for Winnebago County.
A faculty member of the University of Phoenix’s John Sperling College of Business since 2003, Yunus served as the CFO of Singer Mental Health Center in Rockford for 24 years before he was promoted to hospital administrator from 2005 until it closed in 2012. He served on a federal Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration advisory council for five years.
“I think we can do a lot to combat mental health illness and substance abuse,” Yunus said. “I have more than 30 years experienced at the state and federal level. I am very knowledgeable about the issues we are dealing with here in Winnebago County.”
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.