BOARD & STAFF

Amy Byers

President

Chatham Area Public Library, 217-483-2713. Amy is the Director at the Chatham Area Public Library District since 2009. Along with serving as secretary this year, Amy is the president of the Benedictine University at Springfield Alumni Association and a member of the Illinois Women is Leadership. She is a graduate of Rochester Schools and Indiana University. She loves being a part of the Chatham community. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her two young nieces and nephew, Calla, Claire and Colton. She and her husband also spoil their black lab mix, Percy too much.

Jay Rogers

Vice President

Bank & Trust Company, 217-483-3343. Jay earned degrees in Business Administration and English from North Central College, a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Illinois-Springfield, and also completed studies at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado. Along with his wife Karen, Jay has enjoyed the great experience of having his daughter Lindsay and son Michael obtain their educational foundation via the Ball-Chatham school district. A life-long passion for the sport of distance running has earned Jay NCAA All American honors, 4 Hall of Fame Inductions, and a 14 year tenure as a Glenwood High School cross country and track coach from 1999 to 2013. He is now in his third decade as Race Director of the Scholastic Challenge 5K that has donated over $140,000 to local high school distance running programs in central Illinois.

Jon Sturgeon

Treasurer

Bank of Springfield, 217-483-6525. Jon Sturgeon is currently an Assistant Vice President for Bank of Springfield. He joined BOS in October 2007 and has held a variety of positions including Personal Banker, Chatham Banking Center Branch Manager, Mortgage Loan Officer, and most recently Mortgage Market Leader. Jon oversees several teams in the mortgage production area and assists with investor and vendor relations within the mortgage division. He started his banking career in 2001 as a teller after graduating from Springfield Southeast High School. He obtained his Associates Degree from Lincoln Land Community College. In addition to being the Treasurer for the Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce, Jon serves on the Village of Chatham Planning Commission, is Clerk for the Chatham Township Community Building Board of Managers, as a Board Member for Chatham Friends of the Parks, as an affiliate member of Capital Area Realtors, and has served as Treasurer and Scholarship Committee chair for the Chatham Jaycees. He and his wife, Casey, moved to Chatham in 2005 and have 1 daughter, Cayleigh.

Tracy Formea

Secretary

Formea Insurance Group, Inc., 217-483-1536. Tracy Formea is a graduate of Glenwood High School and Illinois State University. In 2003, she founded Formea Insurance Group, Inc., an independent insurance agency, in Chatham. Since opening her business, she has been an active member of both the Chatham Area Chamber and the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. Her involvement with the Chatham Area Chamber has included volunteering on all event planning committees along with a member of the Board of
Director. For six of those years on the Board, she has also been a member of the Executive Board serving as President, Past President, Vice President and is currently in her second term as Secretary. Her volunteer work with the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce includes ten years as an Ambassador. Tracy is a member of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois, Local First, Pi Beta Phi, and Chatham Christian Church, where she teaches Sunday School. Tracy and her husband Chad are the proud parents of Reagan and Cooper.

Larissa Hansen

Past President

Targeted Marketing Resources, 217-546-8194. Larissa started her marketing career in 1990, and opened Targeted Marketing Resources in 2009 to provide marketing consulting and services to small and medium-sized businesses and non-profit organizations in the area. She enjoys the challenge of keeping up with the ever-changing landscape of the marketing world, identifying needs and solutions for companies, and helping clients grow their businesses. In addition to volunteering with the Chatham Chamber, she is on the Board of WE-CI (Women Entrepreneurs of Central Illinois), is a member of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and volunteers for many of the organizations her children are involved with in the Ball-Chatham School District. She currently resides in Chatham with her three children, Robbie, Donna and Rachel.

Jane Hay

Director

Jane Hay Sales & Staging- The Real Estate Group, 217-414-1203. Jane is a full-time real estate broker and partner with The Real Estate Group serving both sellers and buyers in the Chatham and Springfield markets. Her real estate business model is based on excellent customer service, cutting edge marketing and free home staging for every listing. Jane is also active in the Capital Area Association of Realtor and serves on its Board of Directors. Prior to her career in real estate, Jane's professional background include work as Project Assistant for the Secretary of State's Office, Executive Staff Member for Illinois State Treasurer's Office, and Office Administrator/Paralegal for Wolter, Beeman & Lynch Law Offices. Jane enjoys community service and promoting local interests. She currently serves as past president of the Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Chatham Area Public Library Foundation Board, member of the Village of Chatham Planning Commission, Vice Chair of Ball-Chatham Titan Fuel Board. Born and raised in nearby Taylorville, Illinois, Jane moved to Springfield in 1989. She and her husband David made Chatham their home in 1998, where they now reside with their two sons. David works at Chatham-Glenwood High School where he is a teacher and Head Football Coach.

Stephanie McDannald

Director

Emerson Press, 217-628-3441. Stephanie is Sales and Marketing Director for Emerson Press since 1989. Emerson Press is a full service commercial printer, specializing in single-to full color printing, larger format items as well as promotional products. Please see emersonpress.net for a full list of products. Prior to working for Emerson Press, Stephanie worked for Southwest Graphics in St. Louis, MO. Stephanie earned her marketing degree from Millikin University in 1988. She served on the boards of the Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Women in Leadership, Women Entrepreneurs, and The Divernon American Legion Auxiliary. Stephanie resides in Divernon with her husband Doug and their son Colton.

Michael Murphy

Director

HeplerBroom, LLC, 217-528-3674. Michael is a partner at the law firm of HeplerBroom, LLC. His primary focus is environmental litigation, but he has experience litigating many other types of cases in both federal and state courts, including personal injury, property damage, employment law, contractual disputes, and insurance coverage. Michael has also briefed and argued appellate cases in several appellate districts in the State of Illinois as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He additionally counsels clients with environmental compliance questions involving federal and state environmental statutes and regulations, and assists clients in permitting, rule-making, and regulatory relief proceedings. Michael was the valedictorian of the class of 2004 of the Southern Illinois University School of Law, was named one of the 2015 “40 Business Leaders Under Forty” by the Springfield Business Journal, and has been recognized as an Emerging Lawyer by Illinois Leading Lawyers and a Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers. His complete practice profile can be viewed at https://www.heplerbroom.com/michael-murphy.html. He and his wife have four children who attend Ball-Chatham schools.

Ryan Murphy

Director

Bank of Springfield, 217-241-7144. Ryan is currently a Vice President and Commercial Lender for Bank of Springfield. He joined BoS in the spring of 2008 and has held several different positions with the bank including most recent – Community Bank President and Branch Manager of BoS Chatham Banking Center from 2010-2012. Prior to joining BoS, Ryan was involved in Collegiate Athletics in various different Development roles working for Duke Athletics. He is a graduate of Lincoln Land Community College (A.S.), Saint Louis University (B.S.) and West Virginia University (M.S.). Ryan also is currently the Lincoln Land Community College Foundation Board Chair and is Co-Chairing their $2.5 million “Grow Beyond” Endowment Campaign. He has served on the LLCC Foundation Board since 2010. Ryan was born and raised here in Springfield and attended Pleasant Plains schools. He currently resides in Chatham with his wife Jamie and their two boys, Tucker and Cameron.

John John Fulgenzi

Director

Fulgenzi’s Trattoria & Catering, 217-483-6133.

Zach Thornton

Director

Crowne Plaza, 217-241-7144. Zach Thornton was born and raised in the Chatham community, and is currently the Catering Sales Manager at the Crowne Plaza Springfield. After graduating from Glenwood High School in 2010, he continued his education at Western Illinois University, where he studied Hospitality Management. He then returned to the Chatham area to begin his career in event planning at Panther Creek Country Club. Zach is very involved in the local community; he is a member of the Rotary Club of Springfield in Chatham and the Glenwood Athletic Boosters, and gets involved in numerous other volunteer organizations and events throughout the year. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, spending time with family and friends, and giving back to the community.

Ashleigh Brinkman

Executive Director

Office – 217-483-6450 | Mobile – 217-306-0037 | Email – director@chatham-il-chamber.com
Ashleigh started as the Executive Director for the Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce in October of 2019. She was born and raised in the Chatham community, where she and her husband, Tim currently reside with their three children – son Cameron, and twin daughters Rowan and Isabella. Ashleigh holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication, and brings several years of experience in event planning, fundraising, and sales. She worked for several years in the medical sales industry, as well as the local medical community for a not-for-profit organization. Ashleigh and her husband are very active in the local business community, as well as the Chatham school community. She enjoys spending time with her family, attending her children’s activities, and staying physically active.

Michael Ferguson

Coordinator

Office – 217-483-6450 | Email – coordinator@chatham-il-chamber.com
Michael Ferguson became the Coordinator for the Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce in December, 2019. Michael and his wife, Meredith, along with their two sons, Jager (17) and Jaxon (12) relocated to Chatham from their home state of Alabama in February of 2014. He brings many years of experience to the Chamber, working with both non-profit and for-profit businesses in areas such as fundraising, planning, and organization. Since moving to Chatham, Michael and his family have have actively volunteered from many community organizations and activities. He also serves as the Student Minister at Chatham United Methodist Church. Michael attended Auburn University, and enjoys spending his free time with his family and friends, watching all things Glenwood Titans, and firing up his smoker.