​David W. Tretter, the fourth President of the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities, assumed that position on January 1, 2004, following his selection by the Federations Board of Directors. As the Federation President, Tretter is responsible for coordinating the state and federal public policy advocacy efforts of 53 Illinois private, non-profit, independent institutions of higher education. In addition, he serves as the key liaison to the Illinois General Assembly, K-12 and higher education agencies, and the media.

Tretter completed undergraduate work at Illinois State University and earned a graduate degree in public administration and a certificate in public budgeting and finance from the University of Illinois. He has lectured on lobbying and state finances and has taught as an adjunct professor of public policy at the University of Illinois. Outside the field of higher education policy, he has published numerous journal articles on the Illinois property tax system. He serves on the board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and University State Executives.

He can be reached at davetretter@federationedu.org.

​Joan E. Knox is Vice President of Government Relations for the Federation. Knox has close to 20 years’ experience in a variety of roles including legislation, policy, and advocacy at both the local and state levels, including 10 years in private higher education. Her extensive political campaign and government experience includes having served as Alderman for the City of Palos Hills for 17 years.

Knox assists the President in coordinating state and federal public policy advocacy efforts for Federation members. Previously, Ms. Knox served as Associate Vice President of Government and Community Relations at Saint Xavier University. Her primary responsibilities included a focus on state policy issues affecting higher education, community relations issues, and general state and federal government relations.

Throughout her career, Knox has served on a number of boards involved in education and community. Professional memberships have included the Executive Committee of America’s Urban Campus – a higher education consortium representing Chicago’s universities and colleges, the Board of Directors of the Southland Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Planned Giving Association, the Irish American Partnership and District 230 Board of Education.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and master’s degree in business administration from Saint Xavier University and is an Edgar Fellow, class of ’13.

She can be reached at joanknox@federationedu.org.

George V. Niehaus serves as Director of Operations for the Federation, where he oversees the agency’s operational structure, human resources functions, internal processes, vendor coordination, scheduling, budgeting support, and cross-team execution. In this role, he helps ensure that the organization’s people, systems, and day-to-day operations are aligned to support the Federation’s mission and long-term goals.

As a member of the Federation’s management team, George contributes to organizational planning, strategic decision-making, and the implementation of agency-wide initiatives. His work focuses on strengthening operational efficiency, improving internal communication, supporting staff, coordinating resources, and developing practical systems that help teams work more effectively.

George brings a strong background in human resources and organizational leadership, with experience in recruitment, staffing, compensation, benefits, employee relations, organizational design, training and development, HR information systems, payroll, policy development, and process improvement. His certification in Organizational Leadership supports his ability to evaluate needs, streamline procedures, and build practical solutions across the organization.

Throughout his career, George has been involved with several professional and community-focused organizations, including the Society for Human Resource Management, Central Illinois Society for Human Resource Management, the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Big Brothers Big Sisters, United Way of Central Illinois, and Land of Lincoln Goodwill.

A native of Illinois, George has completed coursework at Greenville University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Millikin University. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership.

George can be reached at georgeniehaus@federationedu.org.