Staff and Board of Directors
Board of Directors
John Stremsterfer, Board President
In 2006 John was a participant in the American Memorial Marshall Fellowship, a trans-Atlantic exchange program for future European and American leaders, through the German Marshall Fund. In 2012 John was among the inaugural class of the Edgar Fellows, a fellowship designed by former Illinois Governor, Jim Edgar, focusing on the requirements and responsibilities of leadership and governing for emerging leaders across Illinois.
John was the 2007 recipient of the “Outstanding Fundraising Professional” award of the Springfield, IL chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and in 2008 was recognized by the Springfield Business Journal by receiving the “Business Ethics Not-For-Profit” award. In 2012 John received the Rail-Splitter Public Service Award from the American Society of Public Administration, Central Illinois Chapter. In 2014 he received the Young Alumnus Award from his alma mater, Illinois College.
Mr. Stremsterfer has served as the Vice-President of the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations and on the Board of Directors of Donors Forum. He is a past-chair of the board of Leadership Springfield and currently serves on the board of the Citizens Club of Springfield.
John is a Springfield native. He holds a BA in Political Science from Illinois College. John lives in Springfield with his wife Trina and children Ileana, Dean and Cora.
Catherine Meckes, Board Vice President
Catherine leads donors, volunteers, staff, and community partners towards the Community Foundation’s vision of a thriving region through collaborative philanthropy. During her time as CEO, more than $16 million in grants have been awarded towards this vision.
In her capacity as CEO, she is a member and past chair of the Adams County Funders Collaborative, which works cooperatively to strengthen local nonprofit capacity and leadership development. In addition to her work with the Community Foundation, Catherine serves on the board of Tri-State Fundraising Professionals and the oldest continuously active women’s literary society in the nation, Friends in Council. She is also a member of Quincy Service League and a volunteer for Junior Achievement.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Catherine held a career in healthcare public relations in Chicago. Catherine holds a Bachelor and Master of Communication Studies from Eastern Illinois University. Catherine and her husband live in Quincy, where she was born and raised, along with their two children, Margaret and Charlie.
Anne Calder, Board Secretary
Anne serves as vice president of development at the Quad Cities Community Foundation, where she oversees gift planning and philanthropic services, planned giving, stewardship and donor engagement, nonprofit endowment building initiatives, and disaster fundraising.
Anne is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) a designation which provides expertise to guide charitable individuals and organizations in strategic philanthropic planning. Her career in philanthropy includes work with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and nearly ten years at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where she was awarded the Harold and Violet Jaeke Award. A member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the National Association of Planned Giving Professionals, the Quad City Estate Planning Council, Anne serves on the board of the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations and as the president of the Quad City Planned Giving Council.
A native of Chicago, Anne holds a BA in English and secondary education from Augustana College. Anne and her husband have five children and live in Geneseo, Illinois, with their golden retriever, Islay.
Amy Frerichs Hernon, Board Member
Amy Frerichs Hernon brings over 25 years of experience in fundraising and nonprofit leadership to her role as Executive Director of The Community Foundation for McHenry County. A proud graduate of Lake Forest College, Leadership Greater McHenry County, and a Development Leadership Consortium fellow. Amy is deeply committed to advancing local philanthropy and driving community transformation.
Rooted in a modest upbringing in the rural West, she carries with her a profound understanding of the value of community. Amy’s career reflects her deep personal commitment to helping others. She firmly believes in the power of local giving to create lasting impact and improve the quality of life across McHenry County. Her expertise includes nonprofit leadership, strategic planning, donor relations, campaign development, and board governance.
Outside of work, Amy is a proud mother of four and lives in the heart of McHenry County, in the charming town of Woodstock.
Joshua D. Gibb is the President & CEO of Galesburg Community Foundation. Since 2008, Josh has worked tirelessly to build stronger, healthier communities by connecting individuals, nonprofits, and entire communities with mentorship, training, and resources to effectively address issues and opportunities in Knox, Warren, and Henderson Counties. One of Josh’s top priorities is to stop the transfer of wealth from rural America, and he has inspired and incentivized individuals to give millions of dollars’ worth of wealth to nonprofit endowment funds. These permanent funds are creating opportunities for people to give to the causes and places that matter most to them.
In addition to many local boards and taskforces, Josh is a founding board member of the Rural School Collaborative, which is committed to place-based engagement, rural philanthropy, and developing teacher-leaders through hubs across the nation.
Josh and his wife, Stacy, live in rural Galesburg with their five children.
Devan Gagliardo is the Program Director at the Community Foundation of Grundy County, where she has served since 2011. In this role, Devan oversees grants and scholarships. She is passionate about making a difference in Grundy County and enjoys connecting people, organizations, and resources to help strengthen the community.
Through her work at the Community Foundation, Devan is involved in a variety of local initiatives and partnerships, including the Behavioral Health Alliance, Grundy Interagency Council, Domestic Violence Task Force, and 100+ Women Who Care of Grundy County. She also leads the Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Program, giving high school students the opportunity to learn about philanthropy and make a difference in their communities.
Devan serves as the System Manager for the Kendall-Grundy IRIS Network and is a member of the Justice Assistance Board. She values the relationships she has built throughout Grundy County and believes some of the most meaningful work happens when people come together and find ways to work toward common goals.
Devan earned bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Organizational Communication from Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. A lifelong Grundy County resident, she currently resides in Coal City with her husband, Jason, and their two children.
Alex Pleasant, Board Member
Alex Pleasant has been the President and CEO of the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation since 2021. Prior to coming to the Foundation, he was the Executive Director of the Crawford County Development Association, a public-private partnership focused on economic and community development in Crawford County, Illinois. He earned BA (‘11) and law (‘14) degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign before returning to southeastern Illinois to practice law. Alex and his wife, Siera, live in Robinson and are involved in several local non-profits.
Mike Sitrick, Board Member
Mike Sitrick, JD, CFRE
As president & CEO of DuPage Foundation, Mike leads the organization in creating an ecosystem of collective impact for DuPage County to raise the quality of life for all. He works closely with its Board, volunteer leaders, and staff to set the Foundation’s vision, foster strategic partnerships, and build permanent community endowments, while helping people and organizations achieve their charitable goals and connect their passions and resources with local needs and opportunities.
Prior to Mike’s appointment as chief executive officer in 2023, he led the Foundation’s Advancement Department for 10 years, most recently as executive vice president for advancement, helping achieve a period of unprecedented growth. He began his career with the Foundation in 2003 as its first full-time development officer before going on to study and practice law in the Chicago area until his return to the organization in 2013.
Mike currently serves as the immediate past president of the DuPage Estate Planning Council, a board member for the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations and Choose DuPage, a member of the Executive Committee for the DuPage County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Committee, and as a member of Chicago Council on Planned Giving and the West Suburban Philanthropic Network (WSPN). He is also a past president of Suburban Chicago Planned Giving Council, a past board member of WSPN, and a past member of the Chicago Bar Association and Eighteenth Circuit Pro Bono Committee. Additionally, Mike has been an active member of the DuPage County Bar Association (DCBA) for years, serving as a presenter, committee member, and Judges’ Nite writer and performer.
Mike has been recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business magazine since 2024 as a part of its annual “Who’s Who” in Chicago business and was previously recognized by the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce as an Inaugural “Four Under 40” recipient in 2016. Mike is also a two-time recipient of the DCBA Board of Directors’ Award (2013-2014; 2016-2017) and a past recipient of WSPN's Distinguished Service Award (2016).
Mike graduated from Millikin University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and a minor in music. He earned his Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Mike has been a resident of DuPage County since 2003 and currently lives in Lombard with his wife and son.
Carrie Summy, Board Member
Carrie Summy is President and CEO of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation in Oak Park, Illinois. Carrie joined the Foundation in 2016, and has served in a variety of roles to increase charitable giving to and through the Foundation, addressing socio-economic issues with philanthropic resources, leadership, and advocacy. In her tenure with the Foundation, she re-developed and executed its community leadership program, was a member of the strategic planning leadership team to reassess the Foundation’s purpose and mission, worked collectively to fundraise and distribute over $1 million in COVID relief funds, and worked on the Foundation’s Community Voices report, an assessment of structural racial barriers and challenges community members face in the west Cook County region.
Carrie shifted her career from customer service and marketing to the nonprofit sector when her children were young, co-developing a volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) community service organization that provided school-aged children hands-on, project-based, educational service activities and events. She has a passion for volunteering and supporting local organizations, including Girl Scouts, Unity Temple's Unitarian Universalist Church, and Opportunity Knocks, and has served on the boards of Wonder Works Childrens Museum and the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce. She is an active member of Rotary Club of Oak Park-River Forest, and Women Leaders in Philanthropy, a giving group of the Foundation.
Carrie has a BA from University of Wisconsin. She and her husband have four children and reside in River Forest. Carrie has a habit of trying to learn new competitive sports – from roller derby to tennis – and enjoys hiking and camping with her family in the great outdoors.
Henry Mohn, Executive Director
Henry Mohn is the Executive Director of the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations. He represents a suite of industry association clients to provide comprehensive association management services, including state legislative advocacy, strategic planning, board and membership engagement, finances, communications, and event planning. Additionally, he serves as an Assistant Vice President on McGuireWoods Consulting’s Illinois government relations team supporting the team and clients with legislative and administrative rule tracking, media monitoring, procurement, budget analysis, and a variety of other research projects. Henry graduated from Northwestern University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, international studies, and geography.
James Sherwood, Executive Team
James Sherwood serves on the executive team for the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations. Outside of this role, James is a Sr. VP with McGuireWoods Consulting and Counsel for McGuireWoods LLP. James serves a variety of clients in a lobbying capacity and has worked with several different statewide associations, representing them before Illinois state government. Before joining McGuireWoods, James served as Deputy Legal Counsel and Ethics Officer in the Illinois House of Representatives. He has a JD from DePaul Law and a BA from UC Santa Barbara.
Beth Martin, Bookkeeper and Compliance Assistant
Beth Martin is the Bookkeeper and Compliance Assistant for the Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations. She had been assisting associations for the last twenty years with their finances, compliance, and communications. Additionally, she serves as a Research Association on McGuireWoods Consulting’s Illinois government relations team.