Board of Trustees
Terra Mullins, Chair
Terra Mullins was raised in Champaign County on a farm and has been actively involved in the community through various outreach efforts, business strategy, and development. Relationships and making a difference are important to her. Her expertise lies in healthcare, event planning, management, marketing, team engagement, and relationship building. Early in her career, Terra served as a Respiratory Care Practitioner, specializing in Pulmonary Function and lung health. She also briefly worked as a Faculty member at Parkland College, teaching the Pulmonary Function course in the Respiratory Care program. In 2008, she co-founded Champaign Urbana’s first multi-restaurant marketing and delivery service, which she successfully sold in 2011. Terra holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration and a Master of Business Administration Degree.
Currently, Terra serves as the Director of Community Outreach and was recognized as the 2019 Annual Way to Be Leader at Health Alliance/Carle Health. She actively contributes to the community, supporting efforts for the Age-Friendly Steering Committee supported by CHAD at the U of I, participated in the inaugural class of the Aspirating Philanthropist Giving Circle hosted by CFECI, and served on the Grants Committee for CFECI. Terra has a deep love for nature and a passion for learning. She strongly believes in the power of collective effort, recognizing that “it takes a village to create meaningful change and improve our world.”
Wesley Hunter III, Vice Chair
Jacob Kuebler, Secretary
Jake is the Managing Partner and a Senior Advisor with Bluestem Financial Advisors. Beyond his work with clients, Jake’s role is focus on strategy of the firm to help more people use their financial resources in line with their values and lead a life of fulfillment. He is excited to bring this experience to the Community Foundation to expand its reach and impact on the community. Jake holds a bachelor’s from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s from Kansas State. He currently serves as an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Illinois. He previously served on the Board of the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners and various leadership roles with National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). Jake lives in Savoy with his wife, Tara, and daughters Vivian and Lucy. Together they love to travel and cheer on the Illini. Jake also enjoys running, cooking, and working on their home and garden.
Jon Coffman, Treasurer
Jon Coffman is a CFO in the outsourcing division for CliftonLarsonAllen. He is a native of Mansfield, Illinois, and attended North Central College in Naperville before passing the CPA exam. Jon has worked professionally in the Champaign-Urbana community for more than 20 years. He has an excitement for helping organizations succeed that has led him into several entrepreneurial side-projects over the years alongside his accounting practice. Jon has served many nonprofit organizations during his career as either a board member or consultant and currently serves on the finance committee at Grace Church of Mahomet. He resides in White Heath with his wife, Brook, and twin sons, Austin and Camden.
Mark C. Palmer, Past Chair
Mark C. Palmer is the Chief Counsel of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism where he facilitates the promotion of professionalism, civility, and integrity among the legal and judicial systems in Illinois. Prior to the Commission, Mark was in private practice at the downtown Champaign law firm Evans, Froehlich, Beth & Chamley where his law practice focused on areas including commercial litigation, municipal law, and banking law, among others. He represented private and appointed clients in both civil and criminal cases
in state and federal courts. Mark grew up in Champaign and stayed for college prior to moving to Chicago for a full-time corporate job and part-time law school. After six years in the Windy City, Mark returned to practice law in Champaign while taking on several volunteer roles including as a mentor and the past president of the CU One-to-One Mentoring Foundation. Mark received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his law degree from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. He is active in numerous legal and civic organizations including as a Board Member for the Illinois State Bar Association and as the Chair of the Public Interest Law Initiative’s 6th Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee. When not in the office, you will likely find Mark and his wife busy raising their twin daughters.
Laura Bleill
Laura Weisskopf Bleill is a professional community builder. As the Director of External Engagement at the University of Illinois Research Park, Bleill develops strategy behind the Research Park’s events, programming, communications, branding and marketing efforts; and directs its strategy to attract, grow, retain and train its workforce. Bleill is the CEO and co-founder of a hyperlocal digital media company, chambanamoms.com. More than a website, chambanamoms.com is the top resource for Champaign-Urbana families. An avid volunteer, she is past president (and still a member) of the Experience Champaign-Urbana Board of Directors and is also on the board of Leadership Illinois. Bleill, her husband Tony, and their three daughters live in Champaign. A native of the Chicago suburbs, she has a master’s and bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. In her not-so-spare time, Laura loves to read and is happy to hear your book recommendations.
Michael Comet
Michael P. Comet grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, graduated from Roosevelt University in Chicago with a BA in Hospitality Management in 1992 and proceeded to acquire his MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign in 2000. He moved to Champaign in 1996 to work for the family business, as a principal owner of the Pepsi Cola CU Bottling Co, as its President and CEO. Michael P. Comet has served on several boards in the community over the years, most recently as the Don Moyers Boys and Girls Club Foundation Board President. Michael P Comet resides in Champaign with his wife and two sons.
Donna M. Davis
Donna Davis hails from Hammond, Illinois (Piatt County). She is a proud alumna of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she holds degrees in Education (2007) and Law (2014). As the Associate General Counsel for the University of Illinois Foundation, Donna provides advice and representation in all UIF’s legal affairs.
Committed to service and championing education, her prior professional experiences include the Univ. of Illinois Office of University Counsel, as well as teaching second grade, and representing public school districts across Illinois as an attorney at Miller, Tracy, Braun, Funk & Miller in Monticello, Illinois. She has served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Champaign County, representing elected officials and the people of the State of Illinois in civil matters. Donna has a deep commitment to supporting local nonprofits with her resources and volunteerism. Her husband (Lester) and two children (AJ & Teddy) live in Savoy, where they enjoy spending time with friends and family and their pug, Rocky. In her quest for fulfillment, she seeks to deepen her faith alongside others, and finds solace and inspiration through art, writing, reading, podcasts, biking, cooking, and attempting to garden and admire the wildlife around her home.
Jacob Dickey
Jacob Dickey is from Gibson City, Illinois (Ford County) and is a meteorologist at WCIA 3 News in Champaign. In his work, not only does he forecast the weather, but he’s also found a passion for community in Central Illinois. He works with community groups, non-profits and more to help support and expand their messages through “community spotlight” segments on WCIA, volunteer work, fundraising efforts and more. He also teaches at Parkland College and has a passion for education and community. Jacob holds a bachelor’s from the University of Illinois in Agricultural Sciences and Leadership Education, and a master’s in professional meteorology from Mississippi State University. He and his wife Amy reside in Champaign-Urbana and enjoy traveling, trying new restaurants, being active in the community and spending time outdoors.
Victor Fuentes
Michelle Gonzales
Michelle Gonzales became the Executive Director for the Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation in July 2024. Prior to this position, she worked in the Office of Public Engagement at the University of Illinois, served as the Chief of Staff for the late and honorable State Senator Scott Bennett, and was a third-grade teacher in Champaign’s Unit 4 School District for twelve years. Throughout her career and involvement with various volunteer groups, she has learned a great deal about what makes Champaign-Urbana the resource-rich community that it is. She admires the services we can provide to our most vulnerable neighbors and the strong leaders of the numerous non-profit organizations in our area. Michelle is the single mother to her adult son, Sam, and her two energetic miniature dachshunds. She is thrilled to be a part of the board for CFECI and looks forward to continuing her trajectory of giving back to this wonderful place she calls home.
Beth Mathews
Beth Mathews grew up in Philo, Illinois, and graduated from Unity High School. She earned a Masters of Nursing Science from UIC. Beth lived in the Effingham area for 24 years but has since moved back to east central Illinois. She is a nurse practitioner and has worked for Carle, Kirby Medical Center and Gibson Area Hospital. Currently, Beth works as a full practice nurse practitioner in geriatrics with LH Home Medical Group. Beth has learned so much about the community and its strengths through her tenure on the CFECI board. She feels strongly about inclusive outreach in our community. In her spare time, Beth loves to read and knit and she also loves playing golf in the summer.
Kevin Mitchell
Kevin Mitchell is native to Fort Wayne, In and is currently the Director of Major Gifts for the Carle Illinois College of Medicine and will also serve as the Illinois football team’s radio analyst on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network during the 2024 season.
Before joining CI – Med, Kevin was the Varsity I Director from 2021 – 24, after four years fundraising for the I FUND as a development officer. Illinois’ 2008 Rose Bowl co-captain was responsible for bringing together University of Illinois letterwinners, coaches, and support staff from every sport representing all decades with the goal of developing lifelong relationships between Varsity I members, their teammates and Fighting Illini Athletics.
Prior to coming back to U of I, Mitchell was an NFL scouting assistant, both with National Football Scouting and the Houston Texans. Upon graduation from the University of Illinois, he signed a free agent contract with the Washington Redskins. Mitchell began his coaching career at the University of New Mexico in 2009 as a strength coach, and then as defensive graduate assistant in 2011. He then went on to be an assistant strength coach at the University of North Carolina in 2012.
Rod Stoll
Rod Stoll, of Savoy, is vice president of marketplace engagement at Farm Credit Illinois (FCI). The FCI agricultural lending cooperative is headquartered in Mahomet and serves the southern 60 counties of Illinois with the core purpose of Helping Farm Families Succeed. Rod was raised on a small grain and dairy farm near Chestnut before earning a University of Illinois dairy science degree. Prior to Farm Credit, Rod worked as director of development with the Illinois 4-H Foundation and the University of Illinois agriculture college. He began his career in animal pharmaceutical sales with territories in Vermont, New York, and Wisconsin. A past longtime volunteer with Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership and LeaderShape, Rod currently serves on the Nabor House Fraternity Board, the Illinois Fairgrounds Foundation Board, and the Illinois Foundation FFA Board of Trustees. He is a 25-year IHSA basketball official, has moderated the National Holstein Convention dairy bowl for more than 30 consecutive years, and emcees the national dairy judging contest at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. Rod owns one registered Holstein cow named Amari housed at a dairy farm in Greenville. He and his seven siblings own their family’s centennial farm in Logan County together.
Kandace Turner
Kandace Turner is the Associate Director for Public Engagement for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She works to advance the University’s public engagement mission by assisting with strategic planning and the development and execution of strategic initiatives and building and managing relationships across a wide range of constituents, including the university, community, corporate, and government partners. These include major campus-wide public engagement initiatives, interinstitutional collaborations, and statewide networks. Ms. Turner holds an M.S. in Information Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.S. in Organizational Leadership from Millikin University. Kandace also serves on the Promise Healthcare Board of Directors and is a member of Leadership Illinois’ Class of 2020.
Staff
Allison Winter, President and CEO
allison@cfeci.org
As the new CEO and president of the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois, Allison Winter is honored to work alongside others to celebrate the good work of the nonprofits in our community as we work together, raising the quality of life in the Champaign-Urbana area and surrounding communities. For the majority of her 20 years of diverse experience, Allison spent her career helping align donor philanthropic interest with her organization’s priorities. She sees this new role as a natural next step expanding impact beyond campus out into the communities in which we live. When working as a front-line fundraiser at The Grainger College of Engineering and the College of ACES, she developed portfolios, cultivated relationships, and brought in major gifts. She counts her success in the scholarships, programs, research, and other resources she advocated for on behalf of the university’s students and faculty members. Allison loves creating connections and fostering collaboration and volunteered those skills as a recent past president of Executive Club of Champaign County. She’s passionate about uniting diverse teams and setting lofty goals. She meticulously collects data and analyzes it to make strategic decisions that help her attain them. Allison is thrilled to get started and committed to expanding the impact of CFECI, growing its endowment, and enhancing the foundation’s capabilities. She’s looking forward to the impact her work will have in the communities the foundation serves.
Caitlyn Kurtz, Center for Nonprofit Excellence Director
caitlyn@cfeci.org
Caitlyn Kurtz (she/her) grew up in Illinois and has a background in community organizing and advocacy, collective impact modeling, strategic planning, and data collection and analysis. She has worked most recently as the Region 9 Council Manager for Birth to Five Illinois covering Champaign and Ford Counties. Caitlyn has a deep understanding and passion for building equitable options with community members to better meet their unique needs. Caitlyn has written and published several regional needs assessments during her tenure at Birth to Five Illinois. The most recent was an Action Plan co-created with two advisory boards and community partners to address the current and most pressing barriers communities and families face. Caitlyn has also been an Operations Supervisor of a clinic that provides ABA therapy to children ages two to six diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Throughout her professional career, Caitlyn has worked on special projects including an apprentice program to increase inclusivity and advancement opportunities, and a focus group initiative to create a 360-feedback model to better support employees and improve workplace culture. Caitlyn earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Northern Illinois University and her Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Caitlyn is eager to serve the nonprofit sector on a larger scale as the Director of the Center of Nonprofit Excellence and contribute her knowledge, skills, and empathy to enhance the quality of life for everyone in East Central Illinois. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, watching Bravo, and spending quality time with her husband and two cats.
Kristen Duesdieker, Finance and Operations Manager
kristen@cfeci.org
Kristen Duesdieker moved to Mahomet with her family and joined the Foundation in October 2013. A Springfield native, she had eight years of experience in Grants & Scholarships management at the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin before joining us.