Chairman

Vice Chairman

Thomas F. Bennington, Jr., an attorney and partner with Lawrence, Kamin, Saunders & Uhlenhop, concentrates his practice in business sales and purchases, commercial real estate, business succession planning, and related wills and trusts.

Tom has served the public in both civic and charitable activities, and has served as a board member and executive committee member for United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, a board member and President for the Boy Scouts of America, Des Plaines Valley Council, board member for the Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and as committee chair for Boy Scout Troop 99 in Downers Grove.

During Tom’s legal career, he has served many civic and charitable organizations, bringing his legal and political experience to positions that include commissioner, president, chair, board member, or volunteer. Tom served as a County Board Member for DuPage County, Illinois from 1998 – 2010 and as a Commissioner for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. In these roles, Tom made land acquisition, policy, personnel, and budgetary decisions for organizations that had combined budgets of over $600 million per year and over 2,000 employees. During Tom’s time on the Forest Preserve Commission, land acquisition was a priority made possible, in part, by the efforts of The Conservation Foundation. While serving on the DuPage County Board, Tom spearheaded the development and creation of the Southern DuPage Regional Trail, a 46 mile multi-use trail system which connects 11 communities across the southern half of DuPage County.

“The mission of The Conservation Foundation is near and dear to my heart. I grew up downstate along the Illinois River and I&M Canal, where open space was taken for granted. After moving to the suburbs and commuting to Chicago on a daily basis, I felt disconnected from the benefits which open space and interaction with the environment provide. While on the Forest Preserve Commission of DuPage County and DuPage County Board, I was able to reconnect with my open space roots and help drive open space preservation, the development of multi-use trail systems and environmental awareness and education in DuPage County. During that time, I became familiar with The Conservation Foundation and became a ‘true believer’ in its work. I am honored to be part of The Conservation Foundation, its mission, and its past and future impact on northeastern Illinois and its residents.”

Tom is an avid outdoorsman, who spends his time with his 3 adult Eagle Scout sons and his wonderful and patient spouse, Tracy, camping, hiking, biking, kayaking, and fishing.

Treasurer

Thomas Schneider, joined The Conservation Foundation’s Board of Trustees in 2008. Recently retired after 38 years with Molex where he ascended to the position of vice president, Tom was also a member of the Molex Executive Lead Team.

Tom graduated from Bradley University with a degree in mechanical engineering and lives with his wife, Marge, in Naperville.

Secretary

Carole Koch, former chair of the Green Earth Institute Board of Directors, joined the Board of The Conservation Foundation when the two organizations merged in 2018. Carole, who lives in Naperville, began volunteering with Green Earth in 2003 and in addition to board duties, produced the weekly newsletter for the Community Supported Agriculture program for many years.

Carole was the Director of Human Resources at the University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics, and then Chief HR Officer/Associate Hospital Director at the U of I Medical Center in Chicago. After retirement, she volunteered as a docent at the Robert R. McCormick Museum, Cantigny Park, in Wheaton, and has served on the boards of directors for the Naperville Chorus, as well as the Chicago Chapter of the State Universities Annuitants Association.

Carole received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a native Chicagoan. “Even though I grew up and spent my career in the city, I learned at a very young age to cherish and care for nature, having had an organic vegetable garden and a micro forest in our urban backyard, and regularly going on outings to explore the vast Cook County Forest Preserves.”

Trustee

John Binneboese was born, raised, and currently lives in Itasca with wife Julie. He is the Senior Vice President of Itasca Bank & Trust Co. where he has worked since 1978. He is active in the community as a former member of the Board of Governors of Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, and Lake Park High School Educational Foundation.  He also volunteers on local boards and commissions and is an Eagle Scout.  Mr. Binneboese holds a BS degree with advanced degrees from American Institute of Banking, U of Colorado and U of Wisconsin-Madison. He has an avid interest in nature and an ambition to become Master Gardener.

“While reaching Eagle Scout, I developed a deep respect and love for the great outdoors and its preservation.  Being part of the Foundation, I will try and draw on that emotion in support of the great works it performs, while learning about what more I can do to better the places I live.”

Trustee

Pete was raised in Southwestern Ohio and moved to the Chicagoland area after receiving his BS in Finance from Wright State University. He enjoyed a 40-year career in banking starting as a federal bank examiner with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and retiring from JPMorgan Chase Bank after 34-years in commercial banking with Chase and its predecessors in the Chicago suburbs. During this time he was active in various civic/business organizations including a term as President of the 1,000 member Northwest Suburban Association of Commerce and Industry.

Pete and his wife Kathie moved to Wayne 18-years ago and he was recently reelected to his 5th four-year term as a Village Trustee. He is a member of the Wayne-DuPage Hunt, the Wayne Area Conservation Foundation and is a volunteer with the Wayne Historic Preservation Society in their project to restore the historic Wayne Depot. He enjoys golf, horseback riding, the outdoors, playing with his 20 month old first grandson and is excited to be working with The Conservation Foundation.

Trustee

Having grown up in and now residing in Naperville as an adult, Dr. Mimi Cowan has known of The Conservation Foundation for decades, but during her service to the Will County Board and as a Forest Preserve Commissioner (2018-2022) she became very connected to our mission.

Mimi currently spends her days serving as the Director of Government Affairs for The Field Museum of Natural History and has extensive experience in the environmental and political realms. “I love that The Conservation Foundation is a regional organization,” says Mimi. “We work best when we work together! I’m hoping I can add to The Conservation Foundation’s connections in Will County, and with my experience in politics and communications I’d love to be involved in any referenda campaigns that arise.”

While life has circled back to where it began for Mimi and she is lending her time and expertise to causes close to her roots, she is a worldly soul! She holds a B.S. in Music and Communications from North Central College right here in Naperville, but her graduate work took her abroad where she earned a M.A. in Irish Studies at the National University of Ireland. She returned stateside to complete a PhD in American History at Boston College, and spent several years as a History Professor before launching her career in government and politics.

This regard for history and her love of nature combined draw Mimi particularly to the restored natural areas of our region. “Having served as a Forest Preserve Commissioner in Will County I’ve had an opportunity to learn first-hand how fortunate we are to have so many amazing natural spaces in Illinois,” Mimi reflected. “Two of my favorites in Naperville are Springbrook Prairie, managed by DuPage County Forest Preserve, and Vermont Cemetery, managed by Will County Forest Preserve. I love that we can go to places that look just like they did 200 years ago, right in the middle of Naperville.” Mimi is also very fond of her annual porch garden and loves picking tomatoes and other produce at our McDonald Farm.

Trustee

Born and raised in Big Rock and lives in Aurora, IL (Kane County). She is married with two adult sons. She is the Corkum Distinguished Professor and Chair of Human Animal Studies at Aurora University. Dr. Davis is a veterinarian, and serves as the Deputy Director of Kane County Animal Control. Her degrees include a DVM and Masters from the University of Illinois, where she also completed an internship and residency. She has been honored with several teaching and service awards. She has been a TCF Board member since 2022.

Trustee

Alvin Gates is currently the IT Manager at Relativity in Chicago, helping to manage large volumes of data and keep client information secure. Alvin has held similar positions with several area corporations, including DeVry University, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Vitas Innovative Hospice Care, and Griffith Foods. He holds a B.S. in Technical Management from DeVry University. As an Information Technology professional, Alvin spends a fair amount of time behind a screen, but his appreciation for the natural world is perhaps magnified because of it. He first became acquainted with The Conservation Foundation through his neighbor and now fellow Trustee, Jeanette Press.

Alvin is a familiar face at our McDonald Farm headquarters thanks to his volunteer service as our Bluebird Monitor at McDonald Farm the last couple of years. While he was working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, he found spending his lunch hour checking on the 20 or so bird boxes on the Bluebird Trail at McDonald Farm was a welcome respite from screen time and the isolation of his four walls. As a young boy, Alvin was a member of the World Wildlife Fund and the animals he read about in those magazines sparked aspirations of being a zoologist. His professional life took a different path, but he’s found glimpses of fulfilling that long ago dream through his work at McDonald Farm. “Fast forward to the present day,” says Alvin, “and I feel like I’ve recaptured that love of nature, a void that technology can’t fill. The world owes a lot to organizations like The Conservation Foundation, who make it a priority for things I take for granted, like preserving land and protecting rivers and streams. I’m excited that with my expertise and experience, I can help advance that mission for nature from a technological perspective.”

Our Green Earth Harvest program is also of particular interest to Alvin, who is very passionate about nutrition and healthy, sustainably grown food. He is well known as a connoisseur of bourbon, enjoys Olympic weightlifting, reading, DJing, is honing a newfound interest in drone flying, and loves to bike and hike on both our local trails and when travelling. Alvin and his wife of 26 years are immensely proud of their adult son and daughter, both of whom live out of state.

Trustee

Dave Gorman spent much of his childhood in south suburban Sauk Trail Woods searching for and bringing home plenty of frogs, snakes, turtles and wild onions.  That and other early experiences instilled in him a lifelong passion for the outdoors.  He has also paddled many of the navigable waters in Northeastern Illinois, and happily fills his canoe with trash each year during the DuPage River Sweep.

Dave is a civil engineer, working as the Assistant Director of Public Works for the Village of Lombard.  He has led the DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup as President since 2012, working closely with The Conservation Foundation’s staff to improve our local waterways.  He previously worked in floodplain management, public water regulations, and dam safety for the Illinois DNR, aside other state agencies and the US Army Corps of Engineers.  The first few years of his career was as a Peace Corps volunteer, building rural community infrastructure and leading other development programs in the Kingdom of Lesotho in Southern Africa.

As an endurance runner and biker, Dave greatly appreciates the mindfulness achievable in those activities.  His project “Bikes for Lesotho” has sent over 6,000 bikes to orphans and others in poverty, and has been instrumental to develop a cycling culture there.  He also serves as Board Secretary of Working Bikes, a nonprofit in Chicago that has grown since 1999 to annually collect and redistribute over 12,000 used bikes for people in need around Chicagoland and internationally.

Dave summarizes his environmental ethic in this way: “What we do today has an impact on at least the next seven generations.  That’s a serious responsibility, and also a great opportunity.  The Conservation Foundation is uniquely able to protect local open spaces for us and for them.  Rolling up our collective sleeves and getting to work on that is extremely satisfying!”

Trustee

John Gormley is CEO of the 19,000-member Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS®, headquartered in Downers Grove. Mainstreet is the largest local real estate association in Illinois and seventh-largest in the U.S.

John has 33 years’ experience in association management. His first association job was with the Louisiana Forestry Association, from 1987-89.

He has a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree from Texas State University.

“I’m excited to serve on the The Conservation Foundation’s Board of Trustees because the work and impacts are long-term,” said John.  “The Conservation Foundation’s mission, preserving land for the enjoyment of future generations, is critically important.”

Trustee

Erik Gullickson: Lives in Crystal Lake (Kane/McHenry) with his wife Katy and children. Financial Advisor, Raymond James Financial Services and President, Gullickson Tax Services. Member various nonprofit boards and volunteer. Chair of TCF Next Gen Advisory Council and Past President of the Dundee Twp. Rotary. Volunteer with Friends of the Fox River and Environmental Law & Policy Center. Avid artist, fisherman, hiker. Aurora University, B.A. Business. TCF Board since 2022.

Trustee

David Hulseberg is president/CEO of Seize the Future Development Foundation. Prior to leading Seize the Future, David was with the Village of Lombard, initially as assistant village manager/director of community development and most recently as village manager.

During his tenure with the Village of Lombard, David was instrumental in expanding the Village’s hotel and restaurant industries, increasing federal and state grants, progressive strategic planning, and integrating new technology into Village government operations. Previous to the Village of Lombard, David held positions with the Village of Mount Prospect and the Village of Arlington Heights in Illinois and the Town of Millbury in Massachusetts. He also served in the United States Army and as a congressional aide in the First Congressional District of Massachusetts for the United States House of Representatives.

David earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Westfield State University in Westfield, MA and a Masters of Public Administration degree with a concentration in urban management from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL.  He holds credentials as a certified city manager from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Certification from the American Planning Association.

Trustee

Robert Hutchinson is the President of Wheaton Bank and Trust a Wintrust Community Bank. In addition to The Conservation Foundation, he serves on the board of Choose DuPage, College of DuPage Foundation, and The Wetlands Initiative. He likes to bird-watch, golf, and fly-fish, and is a great wildlife artist. Robert has been on the board at The Conservation Foundation since 1995 and formerly served as the board chairman. He is a lifelong DuPage County resident and currently lives in Wheaton.

Trustee

As a Senior Landscape Architect at Wight & Company, Patty King has what she calls the privilege of thinking about nature all the time.  She brings creativity, structure and a passion for sustainable design techniques to each project and specializes in creating outdoor spaces that offer an intimate connection with the natural environment, as can be seen in her past projects such as Maggie Daley park and the Oak Brook Park District’s McDonald’s Fields redesign.  Patty was also named a Notable Woman in STEM by Crain’s Chicago Business this year!

Patty spent her my youth in central Texas and upstate New York where she played in the woods, walked through streams, and enjoyed fields of bluebonnet flowers right across from her home. She has always been curious about nature and especially loves integrating natural systems and shapes into her work.

Patty and her husband Tim have been members of The Conservation Foundation for upwards of 10 years, connecting first with McDonald Farm and our Green Earth Harvest program and then learned about the mission further from her colleague Lois Vitt Sale, who retired from Wight & Company within the past couple of years and serves on our Board of Trustees.  “Lois shares my love for the outdoors and working at Wight & Company with her, she helped me understand the mission and how I could get involved,” Patty said.  “I love what The Conservation Foundation does and that now I have the opportunity to help.”

Patty and Tim have two teenage sons and live in Naperville.  In addition to her dedication to family and her career, Patty is an avid quilter and an endurance athlete, having completed the Chicago Marathon and also climbed the equivalent of Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica at 16,150 feet, as part of an endurance event in 2021.

Trustee

Julie Long has been a long-time supporter of The Conservation Foundation and was also involved with Fox Valley Land Foundation, which merged with The Conservation Foundation in 2007.

She is currently working as a monitor on Ferson Creek and is a certified naturalist. Long is an active volunteer for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, the St. Charles Park District, and the Kane County Audubon Society. She also has helped The Conservation Foundation pass three open space referenda with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County.

Julie graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and lives with her husband Dan in St. Charles.

Trustee

We’re so pleased to have Tony Martinez, Chief Communication and Marketing Officer with the City of Aurora, as our newest Trustee. Tony is passionate about executing public relations programs that capture growth opportunities, deepen public support, optimize brand exposure, and enhance key messaging. His unique blend of experience in education, government and natural resources will be of great value in helping us make our messaging and outreach more meaningful and impactful to younger and more diverse audiences.

Trustee

Joe Mikan is a lifelong resident of Will County and a former Will County Executive and Forest Preserve Commissioner. He spearheaded an initiative to create a new comprehensive land use plan for Will County which received the Burnham award for creativity, and became familiar with The Conservation Foundation through their involvement in this process. Joe played a significant role in passing the 2005 successful open space referendum in Will County, co-chairing the campaign committee under the Foundation’s leadership.

Both his personal and professional lives have made Joe aware of the pressures on natural resources and the need to protect them, so it was an easy sell when he was approached to join The Conservation Foundation’s Board. “I’m the third generation of my family to live in Will County. I’ve seen the changes that uncontrolled growth brings to the area, and while I’m not against growth, I certainly know there are better ways to do it than some of the ways it is currently being done.”

Joe brings a visionary yet practical perspective to the Board of Trustees. “I would like to see The Conservation Foundation continue the transition from a DuPage organization to a Northeastern Illinois regional organization,” says Joe. “I think the organization just gets stronger by spreading out and making more communities feel that they are part of the Foundation. That’s going to be easy to do as growth continues. These other communities will feel the need for the Foundation and the expertise the staff brings to them and I think it’s going to be exciting to be a part of all of that.”

An avid outdoorsman and golfer, Joe currently runs the family insurance business, which has been serving the community since 1921, and is also a farm owner. He has practiced the message he preaches by placing the streams and wetlands on his 160-acre Iowa farm into conservation programs. He is a graduate of North Central College in Naperville and he and his wife Lynn have raised their three sons in his hometown of Lockport.

Trustee

Curt Pascoe is a LEED-certified engineer and the Vice President of Real Estate Development at Ryan Companies, where he plays a leadership role in site selection, acquisition, due diligence, permitting, design and financing for his customers.

Land is at the heart of Curt’s work life, and plays a major role in his personal life as well.  Curt is an avid hiker and camper and is passionate about landscaping with native plants.  He and his kids love to raise Monarch caterpillars in the summer.  Whether he is in his back yard or a national park, he loves the way nature reminds him how much there is to learn around us and connects him to a feeling larger than himself.

When Curt discovered The Conservation Foundation, he was looking for an organization focused on preservation of land locally in Illinois but that also offered “boots on the ground” opportunities for people to participate in preserving and restoring local nature.  “As I learned more about the Foundation’s history and programs, I realized I already enjoyed using lands rescued by the Foundation in decades past,” recalled Curt.  “I was impressed by the Foundation’s goal to connect people with nature in addition to preserving lands and waters.  It is a unique combination and I want to help so future generations can benefit the way I have benefitted from past leaders.”

Trustee

Jeanette Press joined the Board of Trustees of The Conservation Foundation in March 2018.

Jeanette is Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer for Lime, the world’s largest provider of shared electric vehicles.
Prior to Lime, Jeanette served as the Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer for CMC Materials, Inc., and prior to CMC, Jeanette served as Vice President, Controller and Principal Accounting Officer of Univar Solutions and USG Corporation. Jeanette joined USG from the audit practice at KPMG LLP, where she spent more than 13 years serving both public and private, multinational corporations.

Jeanette graduated from Loyola University with a degree in accounting and she is a licensed CPA. She is an independent board director for Broadwind Energy, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and serves on the Loyola University Accounting Advisory Board.

“I’m happy to be part of an organization whose goal is to save open spaces,” Jeanette said. “It’s where I love to be. It’s part of what we enjoy about living in the suburbs.”

She said she loves open space and feels it is an important area of pride for a community, and she hopes to get younger constituents involved in preserving land and to get them to know the mission of The Conservation Foundation. Jeanette feels there is wide reaching impact and immeasurable value in the Foundation’s mission to preserve land and restore rivers and streams since the benefit reaches everyone. She, her husband, Dave, and dog, Clive, live in Lisle.

Trustee

Ellen has been a Kendall County Trustee since 2020. From 2009 to 2018, Ellen was Chairman of Environmentally Conscious Oswego (ECO), a commission of the Village of Oswego. Some of their programs and accomplishments include enacting an ordinance allowing residents to raise chickens, hosting the annual Fox River clean-up, coordinating recycling events, researching environmental best practices, and recruiting and coordinating volunteers.

Ellen was awarded a B.A. from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. She has since earned her 500 Hour CYT in yoga and holds other health and fitness certifications, some specifically dealing with osteoporosis prevention and physical well-being of veterans.

Ellen has worked as an Adjunct Instructor for Waubonsee Community College teaching fitness classes and developing her Yoga for Bones and Balance classes. Ellen started her own company, Fox River Yoga, in response to the pandemic closure of Waubonsee Community College and its fitness program. The business has allowed her to sponsor environmental events, like the Fox River Clean-Up in Montgomery and Oswego.

Ellen lives on the banks of the Fox River in downtown Oswego with her husband, Lyle Rosine, and her cat, Oscar. Lyle was a project manager for Suncast and holds several patents and is now retired. The couple met when both were part of a running group in Batavia.

Ellen has been most impressed by the enthusiasm she witnesses from the staff and the board of The Conservation Foundation. In short, she said, “I like hanging out with smart enthusiastic people.” And there’s a plethora of them here.

Trustee

Daniel Wagner is senior vice president of government relations for The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc. In this capacity, Mr. Wagner serves on numerous real estate industry, and governmental boards and committees. He is the Chair-Elect of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, and he serves as Vice-Chair of the Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce Board, for which he also served as Chair for over 6 years. He is a board member for the Civic Federation of Chicago and is active in the United States Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Manufacturers Association, and Illinois Retail Merchants Association. He serves on the Chicago Farmer Association Board and is a member of the Illinois and DuPage Farm Bureau. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and was a significant advocate for the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 which the Supreme Court ruled into law in 2018.

Mr. Wagner’s prior board work includes having served as President of the Chicago Association of REALTORS and as Commercial Liaison for the National Association of REALTORS in 2016. In 2017, he was named REALTOR of the Year by the Chicago Association of REALTORS and received the 2017 Commercial Award from the National Association of REALTORS. In 2019, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Illinois REALTORS as well as the National Association of REALTORS. He served as a board member for the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives (IPA) and in 2018 received the IPA Outstanding Service Award for his role as Co-Chair of the Policy and Government Affairs Committee. He was part of the Real Estate Roundtable’s 1031 Like-Kind Exchange Coalition, whose ultimate outcome was the preservation of the 1031 Like-Kind Exchange in Federal Tax Law. He also served as Treasurer and President Elect of the Illinois REALTORS and is a member of the REALTORS Land Institute. From 2014 to 2023, he served as a commissioner on the DuPage Airport Authority.

Mr. Wagner is also involved on numerous civic and philanthropic boards. Currently, he serves as the Co-Chair of the newly established DuPage County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Committee, a trustee for The Conservation Foundation, Vice President of Development for the Three Fires Council Boy Scouts of America and is a board member for the DuPage County Historical Museum Foundation. In 2014, he received the Advocacy Award from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association for his work on behalf of special needs children in his community. He is a longtime volunteer for the Hinsdale Wellness House which helps people with cancer. In 2015, the Illinois State University Political Science Department honored him with their alumni award. In 2018, he received the Illinois State University’s College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Award and the Illinois State University Division of Student Affairs Steve and Sandi Adams Legacy Hall of Fame Award. In February of 2020, Illinois State University honored him with the Alumni Achievement Award. He was nominated and selected to be in the 2019 Class for the Governor Jim Edgar Fellowship Program. In 2024, The Three Fires Council Boy Scouts of America presented him with their highest honor The Silver Beaver Award for his distinguished service to youth and the community.

Mr. Wagner obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Illinois State University. He is a licensed real estate broker since 2004 and holds Series 7 and 63 security licenses. He is married and has four children, three of whom are triplets.