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Board of Directors
| Officers of the Board |
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BOARD PRESIDENT: Chris Morris
Chris Morris was a new board member for DayOne Network in January 2012 has continued to be a DayOne PACT board member as a result of the merger with PACT in July of 2016. Chris works part time as a RN Case Manager in the managed care/utilization review industry for Med-Cert., Inc. located in Tampa, FL. She has worked in the managed care industry for 26 years.
Chris resides in Geneva with her husband Doug and two young adult children with developmental/intellectual disabilities. Chris attended Elmhurst College and received a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. She is also a Certified Case Manager.
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VICE CHAIR: Neil T. Goltermann, Momkus LLC
Neil concentrates his practice in estate planning, probate administration, business transactions and planning, corporate law, and real estate. Neil is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Trusts & Estates Council, DuPage County Bar Association (Estate Planning and Probate Committee, Chair 2010 – 2011, Vice-Chair 2009 – 2010, Tax Law Committee, Chair 2011 – 2012), DuPage County Estate Planning Council, (Board Member 2014 – Present). He has served with the DuPage Foundation’s Next Generation Initiative Steering Committee and currently is on the Professional Advisor Committee. Neil continues to be active with Boy Scout Troop 505 in Naperville, first serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster and now as the Charter Organization Representative. Neil is also on the Board of the Von Oven Scout Reservation, Inc., and previously was a member of the Family Shelter Service Planned Giving Advisory Council. When he is not otherwise preoccupied, Neil has been known to participate in triathlons and bicycle events.
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SECRETARY: Lane Epstein, RR Donnelley - Retired
S. Lane Epstein has served on the Merger Committee and the Nomination Committee, prior to being elected Secretary of the Board of Directors as DayOne PACT. He also is on the Major Donor Committee. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since June 2012. He has retired after 30 years from a Senior Sales Representative position with the international printing and communications company, RR Donnelley. Prior to joining RR Donnelley, he spent 11 years as Regional Manager for TV Guide Magazine. Prior to that, he held various positions with several television stations in Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio, including Announcer and Promotion Director. He holds a degree from the University of Wisconsin.
"When our daughter was diagnosed at 18 months with multiple learning disabilities, my wife and I were devastated. We had nowhere to turn for help and advice on how to give our daughter the help she needed. With a lot of digging, searching and not accepting No for an answer, we were able to get the placement in the school system to help her succeed, and excel. She went on to get college credits and earn a Certificate in Early Childhood Development. Today, she is a lead teacher at a national chain of day care centers and is living on her own. We owe a lot to those who helped us help her. By volunteering for the Board of DayOne PACT, I am trying to pay back what was given us, and to her." |
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TREASURER: Brian Sloan, Coldwell Banker
Brian Sloan has worked as a real estate broker for eleven years and as a mortgage consultant for 20 years. He currently works as a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential in Naperville. Brian has a bachelor’s degree in business from Indiana University and an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago.
Brian has a daughter who has been touched by autism and has seen firsthand the successes that can result from the types of services DayOne PACT helps provide. He started volunteering for DayOne Network in 2006 and has served as a director since then. |
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Members of the Board |
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MEMBER: Annette Hammortree, Hammortree Financial Services
Annette Hammortree is the President and founder of Hammortree Financial Services, with offices in Rosemont and Crystal lake. Hammortree Financial has been providing comprehensive financial planning to families throughout Chicagoland and across the country for over 30 years. One of her firm’s specialties is providing specialized planning to Special Needs Families.
“As the parent of a special needs, young adult who was born 16 weeks premature, I understand the importance of an organization like DayOne PACT. I’m proud to say that they are a part of life and my estate planning. Being on this board allows me the opportunity to give back and serve other families and to let them know they are not alone in their journey.”
Annette has proudly served the board of DayOne PACT since 2008. |
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MEMBER: Benjamin Rubin, Attorney, Rubin Law
Attorney Benjamin (Benji) Rubin, Brian’s youngest son, Mitchell’s “little/big” brother, has been a member of the Law Firm since 2010. Benji graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law, Magna Cum Laude, received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, and his Graduate Law Degree, an LLM (Tax), with honors, also from Northwestern University.
Benji is a member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners, a member, by invitation, of the Special Needs Alliance (the national not for profit association of special needs planning attorneys with membership by invitation only), is Chairman of the American Bar Association Special Needs Planning Committee, serves as the President of SIBS (Supporting Illinois Brothers and Sisters), the Illinois chapter of the national Sibling Leadership Network, an organization of adult siblings of individuals with intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities and/or mental illness. Benji is a member of the Board of Directors of The Arc of Illinois, is a member of the Clearbrook Associate Board, an organization serving more than 8,000 individuals with disabilities, including his brother, Mitchell, serves on the Board of Directors of DayOne PACT, the Independent Service Coordination Agent for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities living in DuPage, Kane and Kendall Counties Illinois, as well as serves as Trustee of Special Needs Trusts, and serves as Guardian, serves on the Board of Directors of the Foundation of The Special Education District of Lake County (SEDOL Foundation), serves on the Advisory Council of Encompass (Encompass in partnership with Jewish Child & Family Services, Jewish United Fund, JVS Chicago, JCC Chicago, Keshet, and The Center for Enriched Living and Center for Independent Futures). Benji is also a Faculty Member for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) on the topic of special needs planning, as well as a Speaker for the American Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association on those topics.
Having Mitchell as a brother profoundly shaped who Benji is today, and thus the type of law he chose to practice. His personal experiences as a sibling offer a unique perspective into the responsibilities that come with caring for a sibling with special needs. Now as an adult, those sometimes present and future responsibilities he has regarding his brother’s care are a concern that he shares with all brothers and sisters of individuals with special needs. |
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MEMBER: Cheryl Denz, Riverview Counseling Services, Ltd.
A licensed clinical professional counselor, Cheryl is also the president and founder of Riverview Counseling Services, Ltd. with four locations throughout Kane County. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Art Therapy from Bowling Green State University and earned her Master of Arts degree from University of Illinois, Chicago.
Working extensively with children, adolescents, and their families since 1995, Cheryl has previously worked in residential and inpatient psychiatric settings as a primary therapist and program director. She has developed, implemented, and coordinated intensive outpatient programs for adolescents with chronic mental health issues and developmental delays and served as Vice President of Clinical Programs and Services for a local pediatric clinic specializing in children with developmental delays. From 2001 until 2009, Cheryl was credentialed as an Early Intervention Behavior Therapist and Evaluator through the state of Illinois, and obtained extensive training and expertise working with children birth to three years of age who have developmental delays.
In addition to her participation in the d303 School Board Citizen Advisory Committee, Cheryl currently serves as a Commissioner for the St. Charles Mental Health Board having also previously served as the Chair for the St. Charles Youth Commission for three years. She has been a board member with DayOne Network since 2017. |
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MEMBER: Vicki Howard, Christianity Today Publishing, Retired
After her youngest child started school, Vicki returned to the workplace, and began her publishing career in production, negotiating contracts for the printing and distribution of multiple CTi publications with RR Donnelley, and overseeing all aspects of the print and distribution process. As the publishing industry moved toward more digital processes, Vicki’s role expanded to include the oversight of additional operational responsibilities, serving as Sr. VP of Operations until her retirement in the spring of 2016. I then served on the Board of Christos Center for Spiritual Formation, and was named Executive Director from June, 2017 through the fall of 2020.
“When our fourth child was born with multiple disabilities, including a 160-degree curvature of the spine, I was overwhelmed. Our three older children needed their mom, and our infant son was a full-time care challenge. I searched for resources to help us, but discovered very little was available. Within a year of his birth, my husband’s job relocated our family to the Chicago area, where we found several intervention and surgical options for him that made a significant difference for him and for our family. Today he lives independently and functions reasonably well. Now, as a Board member, I am very grateful to have the opportunity to be part of helping assure that other families managing special needs can find the resources and family support they need.”
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MEMBER: Thomas Cousins, LSC Communications
Thomas Cousins is a newly appointed member of the board as of January 2023. He has a 30+ year career in the printing, technology and distribution working in various sales and leadership positions at RR Donnelley, Teradata, JohnsByrne and LSC Communications. Tom has a bachelor's degree in Business from Illinois Wesleyan University.
“As a parent of a child with special needs, I understand how difficult it can be to find the resources you need to ensure your child’s success. The early childhood intervention and life management services provided by DayOnePACT are extremely important to the families in our community.”
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