Officers and Directors

Michael Hernandez, Director

Senior Project Manager, Broeren Russo Builders

Michael is a Senior Project Manager for Broeren Russo Builders, Inc. He has led a variety of construction projects, including a number of Champaign County Schools and Multi-Family Residences on campus. Michael joined the Broeren Russo team after gaining 20 years of industry experience in Architecture, Development, and Construction Management. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago with a degree in Architecture. Michael lived and worked in Chicago before making the move to Central Illinois in 2016.

Michael and his wife, Trisha, have been married for 7 years and have two beautiful little girls, Rose and Grace. Michael and Trisha set roots in Mahomet while he built the latest addition to the Middletown Prairie Elementary School. Aside from spending time with family, Michael enjoys volunteering for community events, working on projects at home, cooking, listening to music, and is a lifelong Cubs fan.

Stacy LaCour

RE/MAX Realtor at The Matt Difanis Team

Stacy LaCour did not aspire to be a real estate professional, but his years in the industry helping hundreds of people fulfill a lifelong dream has convinced him that this is was he was meant to do. After serving in the US Army, both within the United States and abroad, and receiving a degree from Georgetown University, Stacy married his wife, Julie, and moved to Central Illinois in 2003. They currently reside in Mahomet with their two children, Sydney and Harrison. Stacy’s wife works for the College of Education at the University of Illinois. Stacy serves his local community as a board member on the Mahomet Area Chamber of Commerce, and the President of the Mahomet-Seymour High School Booster Club. Prior to entering the real estate industry, Stacy had already earned a reputation for delivering excellent customer service in his previous positions at Bundy Business Machines and as a Creative Marketing Manager at WCIA television. Outside of real estate, Stacy has coached the Mahomet-Seymour Youth and High School Soccer Club for the past nine years as a volunteer. Stacy@MattDifanis.com

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ELIZABETH MC DERMITH

Owner of Yellow & Company and Paint like Me

NICK SCHNEIDER

Loan officer / Branch Manager

Nick Schneider is currently the Branch Manager/Commercial Loan Officer for the First State Bank of Forrest in Mahomet.   Prior to joining the bank in 2017 when it started its Mahomet location, he has worked in other Central Illinois financial institutions for over 20 years with experience in both the retail and lending areas of banking.   He is a native of western Kankakee County and has lived with his wife Shannon in Mahomet for over 16 years.   He is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University.     When hired at the First State Bank of Forrest, he has worked with the Mahomet Chamber on different events sponsoring various functions that the Chamber has put on.   He joined the board in January of 2019.

JILL GUTH

Owner/Broker

Jill Guth has over 30 years of leadership and management experience in
the economic development/commercial real estate arena. Prior to
forming Guth & Associates, Jill served as the Director of Commercial
Leasing & Marketing for JSM where she successfully negotiated leases
with local, regional and national retailers and office users. During her
time with JSM, Guth served on several boards and committees
throughout the community and founded the Champaign Center
Partnership. Before her role at JSM, Guth served as the President/CEO
of Campustown 2000 where she implemented programs to redevelop
and revitalize the greater Campustown area, serving the University of
Illinois. After Campustown 2000, Guth served as the Executive Director
of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation where
she led efforts to increase economic development activities on a county-
wide basis.  Guth has two grown sons, both graduates of Mahomet-
Seymour and her husband, Mike, is the General Manager of
UNFI/SuperValu Distribution Centers in Urbana-Champaign.

Amy Hood

Co-Owner, Mahomet Ace Hardware

Amy and her husband Jim have owned Mahomet Ace Hardware since 2004, when they purchased it from longtime owners Ernie and Millie Rosenberg.  Also co-owner of Hood’s Ace Hardware in Gibson City, Amy has been involved in directing the stores for over 30 years.  Before returning to Central Illinois Amy worked for State Farm Insurance at the Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington, IL and Mountain States Regional Office in Greeley, CO where she held positions in Human Resources, Research and Administrative Services, respectively.   In 2016 Amy was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award from the Gibson Area Chamber of Commerce for her work and leadership in the community.   Amy has a passion for customer service and relishes the problem solving challenges that small business ownership presents on a daily basis.  Amy and her husband Jim have been married for over 35 years and have 3 children.  Their daughter Kristen teaches second grade at the Middletown Prairie Elementary School in Mahomet.

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Patrick Brown, Ex-Officio

Village Administrator at Village of Mahomet

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Lindsey Hall, Ex-Officio

Mahomet-Seymour School Superintendent

A public educator for 30 years, Lindsey Hall is the superintendent of the Mahomet-Seymour Schools, a position she has held since July of 2017. She started her career in public education in 1989 in the Danville, IL schools. Dr. Hall worked in Mahomet-Seymour as an administrator from 1994-2005. She has spent time in the DeKalb Schools as a principal and assistant superintendent, as well as serving as the superintendent of the Morton Schools for 5 years prior to returning to Mahomet as superintendent. She holds a doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. She resides in Mahomet with her husband of 27 years, Jay. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

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ALAN SINGLETON, Secretary

Corporate and intellectual property attorney Singleton Law Firm, P.C.

Alan is a seasoned attorney with nearly three decades of experience working with clients on a variety of legal matters, but with a primary focus in the corporate and intellectual property law areas.  He has served on a number of boards from tech companies to local not for profits such as the Mahomet Area Youth Club and Mahomet Seymour Soccer Club.  Alan is a regular presenter at workshops and university classes on corporate formation and intellectual property, as well as a frequent judge for business competitions.  He earned his bachelor of science and JD from the University of Illinois and is a member of the patent bar.

Rachel Kurtz

Owner of Kurtz Counseling, LLC

Rachel Kurtz is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and owner of Kurtz
Counseling, LLC. Rachel holds a Master’s in Social Work from the University of
Illinois (2010). After graduate school, Rachel began her work as a therapist at a
local non-profit then moved into the private practice sector before opening Kurtz
Counseling in 2017. She specializes in working with children, adolescents and
women who have been exposed to trauma as well as providing consultation and
supervision for other clinicians. Rachel has been a member of the Mahomet Area
Chamber of Commerce since 2017 before joining the Board of Directors.

Rachel and her husband, Justin, have been married for two years and reside in
Mahomet. When she is not working, she enjoys reading, watching the New York
Yankees and playing with her two rescue pitbulls, Gary and Bonnie.