Saul J. Morse, Chair – Attorney at Brown, Hay & Stephens
Mr. Morse has served as Vice Chair of the Board of United Cerebral Palsy Land of Lincoln and chairs the board of its subsidiary Housing Corporation. He is Treasurer of Post-Polio Health International as well as a member of its board. He also serves of the boards of The March of Dimes, Central Illinois Division, Endowment of the Springfield Jewish Federation, and United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois. He is a member of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Until leaving in April 2008 he served as Chair of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.
Harry J. Berman, Ph.D. – Community Volunteer
Dr. Berman is professor emeritus of human services at the University of Illinois Springfield. Prior to his retirement in June 2011, Berman served for 5 years as provost and then interim chancellor of the University of Illinois Springfield. Since March 2008, he has served as chair of the Steering Committee of the Continuum of Learning, a partnership aimed at increasing educational attainment and maximizing economic opportunity for the people of Sangamon County. He also serves on the board of the United Way of Central Illinois.
Carolyn A. Blackwell – Community Volunteer
Mrs. Blackwell is a retired educator, Title I Administrator, and post secondary coach for Springfield School District 186. She has served as a board member of the United Way, Memorial Foundation, Lincoln Land Foundation, Springfield Community Federation, as well as on the Ball Charter and Hope School boards.
Arthur H. “Hy” Bunn – President and CEO of Bunn-O-Matic Corporation
Mr. Bunn has been involved with a number of community, business and other organizations over the years. He also served on the Community Foundation’s Advisory Council for five years before joining the board of directors.
G. Virginia Conlee – Community Volunteer
Ms. Conlee is a former Peace Corps volunteer and educator and is retired from the State of Illinois after serving 31 years in children’s services. She has served as a board member of Senior Services of Central Illinois, as a trustee of The Hope Institute Foundation, and is a past Chairman of the Board of The Hope Institute for Children and Families.
Janet S. Costello – Community Volunteer
Jan Costello’s 38-year career was spent in communications and management, most recently as the executive director of the Illinois HomeCare & Hospice Council, a statewide trade association. A former resident of Jacksonville, Jan served as a city alderman and as president of the Jacksonville Area Visitors and Convention Bureau. Jan and her husband currently reside in Petersburg, where Jan is an elder at the Central Presbyterian Church.
Kevin W. Crumly – Troxell Financial Advisors
Mr. Crumly is the senior wealth manager and co-founder of Troxell Financial Advisors. He is a member of the Illinois CPA Society, the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts, Estate Planning Council and the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.
Katherine S. Germeraad – Community Volunteer
Mrs. Germeraad has a background in education. She has served as a board member of Friends of Memorial and on its Grant Committee; as a board member of the Springfield Art Association and State Museum Society Board; in various roles in Parent Teacher Organizations within the Springfield School District 186; and as an elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church and on its Personnel Committee. She and her husband, Randy Germeraad, received the Kevin Lehman Award from Springfield High School.
Karen H. Pletsch – President of Hanson Information Systems, Inc.
Ms. Pletsch has served on the board of directors of the Land of Lincoln Girl Scout Council; as an elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and as chair of Budget and Outreach Committees.
John C. Slayton – Vice President at U. S. Bank
Mr. Slayton has served on the board for the State Farm Classic, St. John's Hospital Foundation, the Illinois State Fair Board of Advisors, and Leadership Springfield.
Bruce A. Sommer – Bluestem Ventures
Mr. Sommer has been teaching a variety of graduate courses over the past ten years at the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business and Economics. He is currently a visiting lecturer and entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Illinois Springfield leading initiatives in innovation and family business at the Center for Entrepreneurship. He has been a member of the Young Philanthropists giving circle at the Community Foundation since 2008.
Martha S. Sumner – Community Volunteer
Ms. Sumner’s involvement in community organizations has spanned everything from the arts and education, to housing and healthcare. Sumner has held leadership roles in numerous organizations. She was named Copley First Citizen in 1993 and is a founding member of Women for Women, the women’s giving circle at the Community Foundation.