ELMHURST, Ill., November 13, 2009 – Seven newly-elected members of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry Board of Directors were sworn in to serve their three-year terms at the Board’s meeting at Community Bank of Elmhurst (330 West Butterfield Road) on November 10.
The seven Directors were elected from a field of nine candidates in October by the Chamber membership, which cast 195 ballots (191 valid).
“As is typical, only a few votes separated the last Directors elected from the non-elected nominees, and a recount was needed to confirm those narrow differences” said John Quigley, the Chamber’s President and CEO since 1999.
The Board is comprised of 21 elected Directors serving three-year terms, although a tie in the 2008 election added a 22nd Director’s seat, and three Ex-Officio Directors. Directors are limited to serving two consecutive elected terms, not counting years as an appointee or as a post-term Past Chairperson.
“Our Chamber is blessed to have well qualified individuals willing to serve on the Board of Directors,” said Quigley. “Two Directors were already serving on the Board—one current Executive Committee member and one past Executive Committee member.”
Newly elected Directors are (in alphabetical order):
Paul DeMichele, Director at the Life Education Center;
Robin Guthridge, Vice President-Branch Manager at Inland Bank and Trust on Spring Road;
Michael Himmes, Commercial Relationship Manager at Harris Bank-City Centre;
Helen Levinson, President and Technical Director of Desert Rose Design;
Dee Longfellow, Editorial Coordinator for Rock Valley Publishing/Elmhurst Independent;
Kevin O’Keeffe, Owner of Fontano’s Subs in downtown Elmhurst; and
Heather Winter, Director of Constituency Relations at Elmhurst College.
Following is a brief biography for each of the Directors:
Paul DeMichele
Paul DeMichele, Director since 2002 at the Life Education Center, is a second-term elected Chamber Director who has served on the Ways and Means Committee since 2007.
A former two-term Chamber Director (1998-04) and three-year Executive Committee member, DeMichele received the “Tee Off for Toche” Good Works Award in 2007 as a Chamber Golf Outing volunteer and Chairman’s Award in 2003 for overseeing contract negotiations on the Fifth Third Bank ATM. He was active in the now-defunct Drug Free Workplace Program and still works on the Red Ribbon Drug Prevention Campaign.
A former member of the Elmhurst Public Schools District 205 Board of Education (1985-89), DeMichele is a Past President of the PTAs at York Community High School, Churchville Middle School and Conrad Fischer Elementary School, and also served on the Addison Township Board of Trustees for eight years.
His resume includes work with Sears Roebuck as a Programmer, Systems Analysis Project Manager, Accounting Manager, Auditor and Controller.
DeMichele holds degrees from Loyola University (MBA) and Roosevelt University (B.S.).
He is a 32-year resident of unincorporated Addison Township.
Robin Guthridge
Robin Guthridge, Vice President-Branch Manager at Inland Bank and Trust, is a first-term Chamber Director who serves on the Membership Committees in Elmhurst and at the Westchester Chamber of Commerce.
Active in the Spring Road Business Association, Guthridge is a volunteer for both the Spring Road Pet Parade and Elmhurst St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Guthridge is a Director and Treasurer with the Westchester Friends of the Library, Jaycees Board member and DuPage Chapter member of the Dynamic Professional Women’s Network. She also is an Advocate for the Humane Society and animal rescue programs.
Her 20-year banking resume includes VP-Branch Manager at National Bank of Commerce (2004-09) in Berkeley, VP-Regional Market Manager at National City Bank (2000-04) in Aurora and VP-Market Manager at Harris Bank (1995-2000) in Aurora.
Guthridge is a graduate (B.A.) of the University of Louisville in Kentucky.
She is a 5-year resident of St. Charles.
Michael Himmes
Michael Himmes, Commercial Relationship Manager at Harris Bank-City Centre, is the fourth former Elmhurst College student intern since 2004 to be elected to the Chamber Board.
Harris is completing the first year of a three-year commitment to sponsor ($10,000 annually) all Chamber events.
Himmes worked on such major Chamber events as Elmfest and Annual Meeting/Silent Auction during his service as a JOBPATH Program intern (2002-03).
His resume includes five years at Harris in multiple positions and one year at Citadel Investment Group as a Settlement Specialist.
Himmes is a member of the Elmhurst Jaycees, serving as Secretary since 2008.
A Summa Cum Laude graduate (B.A.) from Elmhurst College, Himmes has participated in the Center for Professional Excellence’s (CPE) Shadow Program since 2008.
He is a 24-year resident of Villa Park.
Helen Levinson
Helen Levinson, President and Technical Director of Desert Rose Design, is a first-term elected Chamber Director who has served on the Business-to-Business Subcommittee for two years. She also served as President (2004-06) of the Norwood Park Chamber of Commerce, which also named her Person of the Year in 2007.
Levinson is a Technology and Website Committee member for the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and serves her Toastmasters Chapter as Public Relations Officer.
A full-service marketing and communications firm founded in 2004, Desert Rose handled the typesetting, layout and design of the Chamber’s 2009-10 Elmhurst Community Directory, and designed the Chamber’s Facebook and Twitter social media pages.
Levinson is a graduate of DeVry University, where she serves on an Advisory Board.
She is a resident of Skokie.
Dee Longfellow
Dee Longfellow, Editorial Coordinator for Rock Valley Publishing/Elmhurst Independent, is a first-term elected Chamber Director who served on the Board (1988-89) and Membership Committee while representing the Holiday Inn Elmhurst.
Longfellow also is the former Program Director for the Northwest & Schaumburg Association of Commerce & Industry (NASCI), a regional chamber where she planned the annual gala, golf outing, job fair and other special events. Prior to NASCI, she ran her own public relations and marketing company for small businesses and individuals.
Longfellow is a Founding Board member, Past President (1997) and Former Publicity Chair of the Elmhurst Children’s Assistance Foundation (ECAF), and a former member, Publicity Chair and Newsletter Editor of the Elmhurst Lions Club.
Longfellow is a graduate (B.A.) of Augustana College in South Dakota.
She is a resident of Bensenville and former Elmhurst resident (1985-97).
Kevin O’Keeffe
Kevin O’Keeffe, Owner of Fontano’s Subs, is a second term elected Chamber Director who served on the Executive Committee in 2009 as Second Vice Chair and Chair of the Membership Committee. He also was a two-year member of the Marketing Committee (2007-08) and chaired the Brown Bag Lunch & Learn Program in 2008.
O’Keeffe also is a third-year member of the Board of Directors of Elmhurst City Centre, which manages the two Special Service Areas (SSA 6 and SSA 7) serving businesses, commercial property owners and residential property owners in the city’s Central Business District.
His resume includes 18 years of work as a Director of Sales in different fields and two tears of teaching at Elmhurst’s Immaculate Conception Grade School.
O’Keeffe first became active in the Chamber during his 11 years as a member of the Elmhurst Jaycees, holding the offices of Director, Treasurer and Vice President, and overseeing the Spectacular Midways Carnival fundraiser at Elmfest and many other events. He is an 18-year member of the Knights of Columbus and has served on Parent Teacher Associations for more than five years.
Kevin is a graduate (B.A.) of the College of St. Francis.
He is a nine-year Elmhurst resident.
Heather Winter
Heather Winter, Director of Constituency Relations since 2007 at Elmhurst College, is a first-term elected Chamber Director who serves on the Governmental Affairs Committees in Elmhurst and with both the Greater O’Hare Association of Commerce & Industry and Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on the Lombard Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Education Committee.
Winter is a member of the College of DuPage’s Partnership for College and Career Success Committee and DuPage High School District’s Business Partner Committee.
Her resume in education includes work at the College of DuPage as Manager of the Academy for Non-Profit Excellence (2004-07) and Tech Prep/Gender Equity Coordinator (2001-04), and at the Kane County Regional Office of Education as Technology Program Coordinator (2000-01).
Winter is a member of the Addison Kiwanis Club and Villa Park Rotary Club.
Winter is a graduate (B.A.) of Benedictine University in Lisle.
She is a resident of Windfield.
Established in 1918, the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a voluntary organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community.
The Chamber also serves the needs of its members through services, programs and events that provide opportunities for networking and referral, business education, development and promotion, governmental representation and community involvement.
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