Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader success is all about growing others” ~ Jack Welsch
Our Leadership Academy is designed to provide a holistic understanding of the Sycamore Area and is suitable for emerging leaders and leaders new to the area.
Our mission is to engage professionals in the business and civic life of our community by providing a platform for leadership and professional development and significant opportunities for growth and exposure. We have had 207 graduate from our Academy since its inception in 2011.
WE WILL . . .
- Develop and improve leadership skills and knowledge, sharpen critical skills essential for creating engaged professionals, and effective community leaders.
- Deliver programs that inspire attitudes and desires to strengthen our community and create a heightened awareness of the needs and challenges that affect our community.
- Empower professionals with the opportunity to build a network and create relationships with community leaders and professionals from throughout Sycamore.
- Advocate for the relationship between business, education, nonprofit, government, and community leaders.
- Build a better future for the Sycamore area by developing informed and effective, dedicated leaders with a truly vested interest in our community.
Registration Forms for the Leadership Academy are taken annually but must be completed and returned to Chamber by January 10th.
Leadership Academy Graduates
Our 2024 LeaDERSHIP aCADEMY cLASS IS pRESENTED bY fOSTER bUICK aTTORNEYS aT lAW
- Pamela Castillo
Opportunity House, Inc. - Nicole Patterson
Country Financial - Beth Ganion
Safe Passage - Gavin Forsberg
CMJ IT Solutions - Leigh Cregier
Old National Bank - Alex Gordon
The Suter Company, Inc. - Tim Bryant
OLT Marketing, Inc. - William Turner
Sycamore Park District - Brianna Holloway
Opportunity House, Inc. - Carl Richards
Resource Bank - Vahn Kongkousonh
Foster Buick Attorneys at Law - Gayle Ornelas
Elm Street Realtors - Noah Forsberg
Heartland Bank & Trust - Morgan Sheese
The Suter Company, Inc.
CLASS OF 2023
- Benjamin Meier
DeKalb County Circuit Clerk’s Office - Kim McIver
Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County - Jessica Lingle
City of Sycamore - Rachel Sauber
Sycamore Education Foundation - Michele Dvorak
Gehrke Construction, Inc. - Tracy Kelsey
Pay-It-Forward House - Cami Loving
Voluntary Action Center - Nathan Erickson
School Tool Box - Jeramie Hendricks
School Tool Box - Ashlee Weaver
Sycamore Chamber of Commerce - Phil Meyers
The Suter Company - Carlos Torres
The Suter Company - Kelsey Graham
Sycamore Public Library - Camon Anderson
Old National Bank - Laura Bucaro
Heartland Bank & Trust - Matt Nelson
Resource Bank - Alissa Pinne
Foster & Buick Attorneys at Law - Alex Tobias
FNBO
Class of 2022
- Darby Henke
DeKalb County States Attorneys Office - Kendall Hampton
Foster & Buick Attorneys at Law - Andrew Miller
Old National Bank - Rachel Broderick
Northwestern Medicine - Jose Guevara
The Suter Company - Robert Meinert
Heartland Bank & Trust - Eva Berggren
First National Bank - Katherine Watson Spearman
Opportunity House - Madelyn Bohne
Suter Company - Edward Valdez
Sycamore Parks Foundation - Chase Goodeill
Pest Control Consultants - Christina Lamphere
Circuit Court DeKalb County - Liam Sullivan
DeKalb County Government - Aaron Miller
Nicor Gas - Samantha Sundquist
Sycamore Public Library
- Eric Anstedt
Edward Jones - Grace Faszczewski
Foster & Buick Attorneys at Law - Hannah Davekos
First Midwest Bank - Natalie Sheehan
Northwestern Medicine - Justin Genz
- Suleyma Perea
The Suter Company - Cal Mendez
Heartland Bank & Trust - Devyn Grzywa
First National Bank - Johanna Blocker
Opportunity House - Matthew Kula
Suter Company - Kelly Gillespie
Express Employment Professionals DeKalb - Caitlin Teague
NIU
- Tony Trott
The Suter Company - Kelly McGee
Heartland Bank & Trust - Johanna Page
First National Bank - Kimberly Kahl
Opportunity House - Brenna Sierra
First Midwest Bank - Kim Halsey
Sycamore Public Library - Marc Hooks
DeKalb County Community Foundation - Lacey Benedeck
Sycamore Chamber of Commerce - Carrie Thompson
Foster Buick Attorneys at Law - Anthony McMahon
The Lincoln Inn - Theresa Tevsh
Sycamore Park District - Heather DuVall
Pay-It-Forward House - Brooke Schrieber
Ramp
- Miriam Tellez
The Suter Company - Nick Reineck
Sycamore School District - Steven Sulaver
Heartland Bank & Trust - Tauna Willis
Blackhawk Moving & Storage - Rebecca Myers
Kish Health Systems Physician Group - Jill Barczak
Blumen Gardens - Robert Heck
First National Bank - Tasha Sims
DeKalb County Government - Linda Korjan
Opportunity House - Maury Dobbel
First Midwest Bank - Jesse Butz
Sycamore Public Library - Kyle Moore
Walgreens in Sycamore - Mayra Vazquez
ICCU - Jess Harrill
Foster, Buick, Conklin, & Lundgren, LLC.
- Josephine Fairall
The Suter Company - Darcy Eggleson
Sycamore School District - Natasha Beaumont
Illinois Community Credit Union - Haley Gerdes
Heartland Bank & Trust - Alyson Shipley
DeKalb County Circuit Clerks Office - Shelby Huffman
Shaw Media - Anna Schelkopf
DeKalb County Farm Bureau - Anna Hart
Foster, Buick, Conklin, Lundgren, & Tritt, LLC - Malwina Bardoni
Midwest Museum of Natural History - Coral Ware
Bethany Animal Hospital
- Jessica Bacon
Kishwaukee Family YMCA - Shawna Bennett
School Tool Box - Erin Clark
Shodeen Homes - William Finney
Syndeo Networks, Inc. - Amber Floersch
Illinois Community Credit Union - Eli Hamingson
Blackhawk Moving and Storage Inc. - Leah Jordal
Voluntary Action Center - Mike King
CMJ Technologies - Cindy Khatri
Midwest Museum of Natural History - Leslie Latimer
Blumen Gardens - Stephanie Liesse
KishHealth System - Terra Potts
KishHealth System - Sarah Rex
Sycamore Park District
- Carlos Aburto
Kishwaukee Family YMCA - Bryce Law
Kishwaukee College - Melissa Dobberstein
Sycamore Park District - Trevor Holbert
Blumen Gardens - Brittani Holliday
First Midwest Bank - Ryan Janisch
Sycamore School District - Kelcie Robinson
Sharp Architects - Rebecca Zantout
DeKalb County Community Foundation - Jill Dubicz-Carter
Sycamore Public Library - Samantha Slagle
Home Instead Senior Care - Tina Vavra
Le Print/New Values Magazine - Chris Botts
Syndeo Networks, Inc. - Sarah Meyer
Tom & Jerry’s of Sycamore - Noel Bradac
Driv-Lok, Inc. - Holly Peifer
Family Service Agency - Amanda Wielgus
Klein, Stoddard, Buck & Lewis - Brandon Haas
National Bank & Trust Company
- Courtney Cox
City of Sycamore - Lucas Goucher
NB&T - Michelle Jones
Kishwaukee College - Emily Sahly
School Tool Box, Llc. - Patrick McMillion
Adventure Works - Cricket Wise
Blumen Gardens - Zachry Downing
State Farm Insurance - Dave Stouffer
- Lesley Webster
Kishwaukee Family YMCA - Rachel Beach
Kishwaukee Family YMCA
- Lisa White
Sycamore Park District - Lesley Feyerherm
Kishwaukee Family YMCA - Heather Eade
Kishwaukee Family YMCA - Micah Stoddard
Jeff Keicher- State Farm - Nate McClelland
Driv-Lok Inc. - Nicholas Hamik
American Midwest Bank - Laura Nolan
Family Service Agency - Kathryn Piper
Blumen Gardens - Gerrit Schrant
Dairy Dogs
- Tara Knull
Northern Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine - Sandra Maahs
Foster and Buick Law Group - Emily Roberts
KishHealth System - Justin Elliot
Clean USA - Megan Merchant
NB&T - Kara Gallagher
Kishwaukee YMCA - Scott Kelly
Country Financial - Dana Chaplin
Driv-Lok - Staci Hoste
NPR - Christy Sharp
KEC - Sarah Vize
KEC
- Julie Jordal
American National Bank of DeKalb County - Jon Kuhn
Banner Up - Ryan Kralka
AlphaGraphics - Courtney Denison
Family Service Agency - Adam Orton
City of Sycamore - Lauren Diehl
Sycamore Chamber - Todd Vanatta
Northern Rehab and Sports Med - Chad Jewett
CMJ Technologies - Josh Kruis
Sparkle Janitorial - Jenna Cooper
Foster & Buick Law Firm - Justin Yahnig
The National Bank & Trust Company