Friends of HE Parks Board of Trustees

Georgeanna Mehr, Chairman

Georgeanna Mehr is Chairman of the Foundation and has been actively involved since 2005. Mehr is President of the Hoffman Estates Community Bank at 1375 Palatine Road and also the location at 2497 Golf Road. She has been in the banking business since 1971. Mehr joined the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce in August, 2001 and was nominated to the Board of Directors in 2002 and served as President from 2004-2006. She is currently a member of the Economic Development Commission as well as the Sears Centre Advisory Committee. Mehr is the Treasurer for Art in the Barn, a fundraising event for the Auxiliary of Good Shepherd Hospital that raises $100,000 annually. She also serves on the Governing Council and Quality Council for the hospital. Mehr feels a responsibility to give back to the community that she works and lives in. She enjoys helping others that are in need as well as contributing to the success of Hoffman Estates and the businesses that are responsible for helping Hoffman Estates grow to greatness. Mehr is married and has two sons.

Gayle Vandenbergh, Vice Chairman

Since 1998, Gayle has been employed by W-T Engineering, Inc. responsible for their daily office operations. Besides being employed by W-T, she finds time to volunteer in the community. She has served as a Trustee for the Hoffman Estates Park District Foundation since 2004. She also serves as a Plan Commission commissioner for the Village of Hoffman Estates, a Trustee for High School Township District 211 Foundation, and is a member of the Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates Rotary Club. Past involvement includes: The United Way, Prairie Center Arts Foundation, and the Boy Scouts of America. She believes that giving back to her community is essential. Volunteering her time is her way of giving back and contributing to the community she lives and works in. Gayle has two children, Amy and Matt.

Kathleen Musial, Treasurer

Kathy and her husband John have been residents of Hoffman Estates for 29 years. She served in various volunteer capacities for her three children’s schools and park district teams throughout their childhood and continues to serve as a volunteer coach in the Hoffman Estates park district’s soccer program. Kathy is a graduate of the University of Michigan and a CPA with over 30 years of audit experience. She has been an audit manager with BIK & Co. in Palatine for the past twenty years and with Arthur Andersen & Co. for ten years prior to that. Kathy has served on the Accounting Principles Committee of the Illinois CPA Society for the past 8 years and as a member of the Illinois CPA Society Accounting and Auditing Conference Committee for the past four years. Kathy is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce and served as its Treasurer from 2007 – 2008.

Dean R. Bostrom, Secretary

Dean R. Bostrom has served as a Trustee and Board Secretary since the Foundation’s inception in 1999. As Board Secretary, Trustee Bostrom is responsible for maintaining all official meeting minutes, records and legal documents. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Hoffman Estates Park District, a position he has held since 1997 where he is responsible for managing the day to day operations of the park district. Additionally, he sits on the Board of Trustees for the Northwest Special Recreation Association.

Mike Rossiaky, Trustee

Mike has 2 UPS Stores and is on the Co-op Board for UPS. He worked the chain gang during the Hoffman Estates High School football games and helped in the concession stands during the basketball season. He was V.P. & Treasurer of the Midwest Toy, Hobby & Trim-A-Tree Association for 14 years and with the Big Brother Association. He is a graduate from "The Ohio State University" and has his degree in Business. Mike is as a single parent with 3 wonderful children, David, Elizabeth and Thomas who have been a part of the Hoffman Estates Parks and Programs as they were growing up. He has been a resident of Hoffman Estates for 31 years.

Gene Hiser, Trustee

is a former professional baseball player who played five seasons for the Chicago Cubs from 1971 through 1975. He was the #1 draft choice of the Cubs in 1970 and was sold to the Sox in July of 1976 and elected to the University of Maryland Hall of Fame in 2002. He joined the Friends of HE Parks Board of Trustees in May of 2009 and immediately assisted the Foundation with their first ever Communi-Tee/Celebri-Tee Golf Outing in July. Gene has been a resident of Hoffman Estates since November 1975 and coached Travel and Park District programs for 17 years. Gene has been a Partner and sole owner of Barrett & Hiser Financial Management Group since 1983.

Lisa Spentzos, Trustee

Lisa is the proud owner of First Place Sports Bar and Grill. First Place has been located in Hoffman Estates for the past four years. She has accommodated and helped numerous events such as The American Cancer Society and political fund raisers at First Place. She understands the meaning of helping others by donating her time. Past volunteer experience includes volunteering at St. Alexius Hospital in Hoffman Estates. Lisa grew up in Hoffman Estates and now resides in South Barrington. She graduated from Harper College with a CNA degree. Her passion has always been opening and running First Place and helping her family in the restaurant/bar industry since she was 14.

Sue Triphahn, Trustee

A resident of Hoffman Estates since 2004, Sue is the Educational Services and Conference Director for the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD). One of her main duties at the IAPD is to educate the elected and appointed officials/commissioners/trustees/board members and provide them with the necessary tools and knowledge for their roles at the local level within their park districts, forest preserves, conservation, recreation or special recreation agencies. She was appointed to the Foundation Board in 2011 and hopes to assist with carrying out the vision and goals of the foundation as well as enhance the quality of life for all citizens of Hoffman Estates by providing the best in parks, facilities and recreational opportunities.

Troy N. Triphahn, Trustee

Troy grew up in Hoffman Estates, playing baseball and basketball through the park district and using the facilities for numerous events over the years and now resides in Elgin. He is a graduate of Illinois State University with a Masters of Business Administration from Keller Graduate School. He is the Vice President and COO of W-T Engineering, Inc. located in Hoffman Estates. Troy is actively involved in running corporate softball and basketball leagues and a frequent visitor at the Prairie Stone Sports and Wellness Center and the Willow Recreation Center.

LiLi McGovern, Trustee

Elected to the Board in April 2007, Lili is currently the Chair of the Recreation Committee. Previously she served as the Board President, Assistant Secretary as well as the chairwoman for the Forward Planning Committee. Lili has been in parks and recreation her entire professional career, having worked as a Center Director in Oak Park, and then for the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce, first as their special events coordinator and later as their Executive Director. In 1989 she accepted the position as Stables Director for Palatine Park District.

In 1998 she joined the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) where she coordinated all the activities of the National Aquatic Branch. She was also Acting Director of the Great Lakes Region while NRPA was in the process of reorganizing. For two years, Lili was National Development Director for Starfish Aquatics, an aquatic risk management and training agency. During that time, Lili worked with park districts, private fitness centers, military bases and municipal agencies across the country helping these organizations manage their staff and facilities more efficiently and safely. Lili was instrumental in introducing new lifeguard training methods to many Chicago Area Park Districts

Bill McLeod, Trustee Emeritus,Mayor of Hoffman Estates

Bill McLeod was elected to the office of Mayor in April, 2001, having served as Acting Mayor following the passing of the previous mayor in September 2000. He was then re-elected in 2005 and 2009.

Mayor McLeod served as a Village Trustee for more than 20 years - many as Deputy Mayor. His interest in government and politics began as a boy in Chicago, that interest has never waivered.

Mayor McLeod and his wife Joane live in the Westbury subdivision, enjoying empty-nesting in between moments of needed move-back from their combined eight children, all of whom attended local public schools and universities. He is expecting his ninth grandchild shortly. His hobbies include reading, walking and history. He loves to mow the lawn.

Cary J. Collins

Cary J. Collins graduated law school in 1979 and joined the Law Firm of Hill, Van Santen, Steadman and Simpson in June 1979. He represented international clients in product liability litigation throughout the United States and was intricately involved in a major personal injury case, Holden vs. State Fair of Texas, a jury trial in the United States Northern District of Texas in 1982 which lasted over 6 weeks.

He became a shareholder in Hill, Van Santen, Steadman & Simpson in 1983 and left in January 1985 to begin his own practice.

Mr. Collins established a reputation in the area of FIre and Police Pension Law and has litigated several Appellate Court cases of first impression. A frequent speaker on topics of public pension issues, he has spoken before the Illinois Government Financial Officers Association, Illinois State Fraternal Order of Police, the Illinois Associated Firefighters of Illinois, The Illinois Police Association and for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Pension Division. Serves on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Advisory Panel and the Judicial Inquiry Board.