North Central National Service Conference: Keynote and General Session Speakers
Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran
and former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Duckworth attended college at the University of Hawaii and then went
on to the George Washington University, where she earned a Masters
of Arts in International Affairs. Following graduation, Duckworth, who
is fluent in Thai and Indonesian, moved to Illinois, where she began
pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science at Northern Illinois University.
While at NIU she also worked at the School of Nursing researching
public health and environmental causes of cancer. Later Ms
Duckworth worked for Rotary International as a manager for
administration of Rotary's clubs in the Asia Pacific Region.
In 2004, Duckworth was deployed to Iraq as a Blackhawk helicopter
pilot for the Illinois Army National Guard. She was one of the first
Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom
until her helicopter was hit by an RPG on November 12, 2004.
Duckworth lost her legs and partial use of her right arm in the
explosion and was awarded a Purple Heart for her combat injuries.
Duckworth spent the next year recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. As one of the highest-ranking
patients, she quickly became an advocate for her fellow Soldiers and testified before Congress about caring for
our Veterans and wounded warriors.
Following her recovery, Duckworth ran for Congress in 2006. After a narrow loss, she became Director of the
Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. In Illinois, she worked to create a tax credit for employers who hired
Veterans, established a first-in-the-nation 24/7 crisis hotline for Veterans, and developed innovative programs to
improve Veterans’ access to housing and health care.
In 2009, President Obama appointed Duckworth to be Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs. At VA, Duckworth
led an initiative to end homelessness among Veterans. She created the Office of Online Communications to
improve the VA’s accessibility, especially among young Veterans, and also worked to address the unique
challenges that Native American and female Veterans face.
Duckworth ran for Congress in 2012 to advocate for the practical solutions and cooperation needed to rebuild our
economy and ensure that every American has a chance to achieve the American Dream.
Duckworth lives in Hoffman Estates with her husband Bryan, an Army Major. Since her recovery, Duckworth has
taken up scuba diving, surfing, skydiving and flies as a civilian pilot. Fulfilling a promise she made at Walter Reed,
she has also completed several marathons. She has resumed her Ph.D. studies at Northern Illinois University and
is also working toward a Ph.D. in Health and Human Services at Capella University. In her spare time, she
volunteers at local food pantries and enjoys couponing and flea markets. Duckworth declined a military medical
retirement and continues to drill as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard.
North Central National Service Conference: Keynote and General Session Speakers
William (Bill) C. Basl was appointed as the Director of AmeriCorps in June
2012 at the Corporation for National and Community Service. Prior to this
appointment, during the past 40 years, Bill worked in a variety of capacities for
the state of Washington. He served as the initial Executive Director of the
Washington Commission for National and Community Service established by
Governor Mike Lowry in 1994 to implement and expand volunteerism and
national service initiatives including AmeriCorps. In 1983, prior to being named
to this position, Bill founded the Washington Service Corps which was the first
statewide youth service initiative in the nation designed to address priority
local education and human service’s needs. Bill was reappointed to this
position by former Governor and current Ambassador to China Gary Locke and
in 2005 by Governor Chris Gregoire. He served as a member of the Governor’s
Small Agency Cabinet. He has assisted agencies and organizations nationally
and internationally to expand and strengthen national service.
Bill supported the State Department in promoting national service, requested by Italian government and civic
service leaders to assist in developing new service initiatives. He is the co-founder of Service America, a national
program that placed cadets from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with AmeriCorps members to address
critical community needs. He has developed the Leadership Forum for National Service Executives at the
University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs, which offers graduate level course work designed to
meet the needs of senior leaders in national service from throughout the country. He has served as a board
member and immediate past Chair of America’s Service Commissions.
From 1970-72, Bill served as a VISTA Volunteer in Walla Walla, WA, helping migrant farm workers establish their
own businesses. In Spokane, where he was a VISTA Volunteer Leader, he helped form a regional legal services
network. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Bill received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from
the University of Rhode Island. In 2011 The White House named Bill a Champion of Change-Service Innovator.
Contact Information:
bbasl@cns.gov
Office: (202) 606-6790
Mobile: (202) 489-5894
North Central National Service Conference: Keynote and General Session Speakers
Engaging Veterans Panelists
Pete Kalenik is the Chief Operating Officer of Leave No Veteran Behind. He is
also a Paratrooper and a Non-Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Pete enlisted in the military under the National Call to Service Program after
the announcement of the Surge into Iraq and has served as a two-time
AmeriCorps volunteer; first teaching in one of America's most violent
communities and then practicing community development techniques in
Chicago's most diverse neighborhood. Pete is committed to service and works
to create opportunities for individuals to improve the quality of life for families
throughout the City of Chicago.
Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Peter Meijer served as an Army noncommissioned officer in Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn from the summer
of 2010 to the summer of 2011. Peter was as an embedded advisor with the Iraqi
Army at Joint Security Stations in the Baghdad area, conducting bilateral training
missions, and continues to serve in the Army Reserves.
Peter is active in several non-profit organizations, holding the position of Strategic
Partnership Coordinator for Team Rubicon USA and serving on the Board of
Directors of Student Veterans of America. Peter began working with SVA in the
spring of 2008 when he campaigned for the passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and
recently testified before the Senate on veteran education.
Today, Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Political Science from Columbia University and
has worked over a hundred emergency calls as an Emergency Medical Technician with Columbia’s volunteer
EMS. In addition to his role as Strategic Partnership Coordinator for Team Rubicon, Peter is also an active
volunteer. He deployed to South Sudan to conduct humanitarian relief, led the Sandy response in New York, and
recently returned from tornado recovery operations in Moore, Oklahoma. Peter lives in New York when not
deployed with Team Rubicon.
(continued next page)
North Central National Service Conference: Keynote and General Session Speakers
Eli Williamson (EWilliamson@McCormickFoundation.org), Director of the
Veterans Program for the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, is a former staff
sergeant with the U. S. Army and co-founder of Leave No Veteran Behind, an
Illinois-based non-profit focused on employment opportunities for veterans. While
serving as Executive Director at Leave No Veteran Behind, Eli implemented debt
relief and transitional employment programs, workforce skills training, and
community service opportunities for veterans making the transition from military
to civilian life.
Prior to 2009, Eli served in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of
“psychological operations” teams and as an Arabic linguist, working on outreach to
civilian communities and supporting special operations forces. Before leaving the Army, Eli served as a retention
officer, providing career counseling to a battalion of over 150 soldiers. He is the recipient of numerous awards
and medals, including the Bronze Star, two Army Achievement Medals, an Army Reserve Components
Achievement Medal, and Iraq and Afghanistan Campaign Medals.
Eli received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Linguistics (with a minor in African studies) from Luther
College in Iowa and is presently completing a Master’s Degree in Non-Profit Management from DePaul
University.
Brandon T. Bodor was appointed by Governor Pat Quinn as Executive Director
of the Serve Illinois Commission on May 17, 2012. Brandon brings with him a
strong record of service. He is coming off of a distinguished military career in the
United States Army, which included combat deployments to both Iraq and
Afghanistan between 2005 and 2012. He is the recipient of two Bronze Star
Medals, the Combat Action Badge, and is a graduate of both the U.S. Army Ranger
and Parachute schools. Brandon graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at
West Point in 2005, finishing in the top 3% of his class; at West Point, he served as
Class Treasurer, was the Director of both the Special Olympics and Big Brothers Big
Sisters programs, and spent a summer working on HIV/AIDS awareness initiatives
in a village in the southern African country of Lesotho. Brandon still serves as a Military Intelligence officer in
the Army Reserves out of Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and is currently completing his MBA at the University of Chicago
Booth School of Business. He resides with his wife and two sons in Chicago.
North Central National Service Conference: Keynote and General Session Speakers
Jeff Snell is the special advisor to the president at Marquette University, where
he works with the university leadership to determine strategies and academic
priorities in support of the Office of the Provost.
Jeff has helped develop key initiatives and partnerships, including technology
transfer, leadership searches, the national Youth of the Year scholarship program
with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the university's ongoing Social Innovation
Initiative, placing Marquette among the first ten universities nationally to be
designated a Changemaker Campus by Ashoka; Innovators for the Public, the
world's largest network of social entrepreneurs. The Social Innovation Initiative’s
developments to date include founding the Midwest Consortium for Social
Innovation, a partnership with the New York Times (FixesU) funded by the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, the Brady Corporation Midwest Social Innovation Design Contest (the first regional
platform), the executive education Social Innovation Leadership Experience, graduate and undergraduate course
design and teaching, and the first university-backed feasibility study to explore a Cristo Rey Network school in
Milwaukee.
Prior to joining Marquette, Jeff served from 2004 to 2007 as chief operating officer for the Argosy Foundation, a
private foundation with assets projected at $1 billion. His duties included designing and implementing the full
scope of all operations in support of the Foundation’s board of trustees.
Prior to joining Argosy, Jeff served for eight years at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, including
three years as president and CEO. His tenure at the Clubs coincided with the largest member and resource
development expansion in the Clubs’ 118-year history, making Milwaukee arguably the largest Club out of more
than 3,500 nationally. Jeff’s key professional accomplishments include the development of a nationally
replicated outcomes study, significant collaborations with public and private entities to enhance the Club’s
service to more than 25,000 members, and completing the largest endowment bequest campaign for a social
service agency in the history of Wisconsin. His combined fundraising totaled nearly $100 million during his
tenure at the Clubs.
Jeff received his doctor of philosophy in education from Marquette in 1996. He also holds a master’s in social
ethics from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, graduating magna cum laude and receiving
the Seminary’s division award in Apologetics and Thought.
In 2007 he received the School of Education’s Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2006 Appleton East High School
awarded him the Alumni Patriot Award for “outstanding civic achievement [and] professional accomplishment.”
In 2001 The Business Journal serving Greater Milwaukee recognized him through their 40 Under Forty awards
program as an “emerging difference-maker in the community.”
Jeff resides in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, with his wife of more than 20 years, Jennifer, and their two children.
North Central National Service Conference: Keynote and General Session Speakers
Jonathon Monken was appointed by Governor Pat Quinn as Director
of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) on February 14,
2011. As director, Mr. Monken oversees Illinois’ disaster preparedness
and response, nuclear safety and homeland security programs, as well
as the agency’s 245+ employees and a budget of more than $618
million. In this capacity, he also serves as the Illinois Homeland
Security Advisor to the Governor.
At IEMA, Mr. Monken has directed the response and recovery effort to
91 Illinois counties declared State disaster areas which included the
statewide response to the 2011 blizzard, the record floods in 2011 and
2013 and the devastating tornado that struck Harrisburg and Ridgeway
in Southern Illinois.
Mr. Monken is Chairman of the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC), a partnership of
the eight states affected by the New Madrid Seismic Zone. He was most recently elected the NEMA
Vice-President for FEMA Region V and appointed the Vice-Chair of the National Emergency
Management Association (NEMA) Homeland Security Committee. Mr. Monken is also a member of the
Governors Homeland Security Advisors Council.
Prior to becoming IEMA director, Monken served for two years as Acting Director of the Illinois State
Police, an agency with a staff of 3,400 sworn and civilian personnel and an annual budget of
approximately $428 million. Jonathon also possesses a distinguished military career having served one
tour of duty in Kosovo and two combat tours in Iraq between January 2003 and December 2006. While
serving with the United States Army, Captain Monken was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the
Army Commendation Medal with “V” Device for valor in combat.
Monken graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, where his military class
rank placed him in the top 1% of his class. He also holds an MBA from Northwestern University's
Kellogg School of Management.
Jonathon enjoys being active in his community and is a proud member of American Legion Post #1922
and Springfield Mid-Town Club of Rotary International.
He lives in Springfield with his wife Jennifer and their sons Jack, Luke and Zach.
North Central National Service Conference: Keynote and General Session Speakers
Matthew McCabe is an AP World History teacher at Pritzker College Prep, a
campus of the Noble Street Charter School on Chicago’s west side. At Pritzker,
Matthew has worked to leverage partnerships with local service nonprofits
(such as 826 Chicago) to maximize learning gains for his students. He is a grade
level lead teacher, as well as the coach of the varsity ultimate team (in 2013 he
was selected as USA Ultimate Illinois Coach of the Year).
In 2010, President Obama nominated Matthew as a Board Member for the
Corporation for National and Community Service. Confirmed in 2012, he has
helped to provide oversight for the agency as well as promote the voices of
service participants and AmeriCorps alumni. Matthew is also currently a 2012
Teach Plus Policy Fellow in Chicago where he works to amplify the voices of
classroom teachers in education public policy.
Previously, Matthew was a Leadership for Educational Equity Policy and Advocacy Fellow at the Illinois State
Board of Education. He also served as a third grade teacher while a 2009 Teach For America corps member in
Chicago.
A native of Philadelphia, Matthew received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and English from the
University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s Degree in Teaching from Dominican University.
North Central National Service Conference: Keynote and General Session Speakers
Dan Milnes is assigned as the Region Director for the AmeriCorps National Civilian
Community Corps (NCCC) North Central Region in Vinton, Iowa. Dan joined the
Corporation for National and Community Service in the summer of 2008 following
completion of a 27-year military career with the United States Air Force.
Following his military career, Dan wanted to continue serving his country in a
government-based and service related leadership capacity. He has found the
AmeriCorps NCCC program to be a perfect fit as a full-time, team-based residential
program for young men and women who desire to serve. Dan has thoroughly
enjoyed the esprit de corps and camaraderie of the NCCC staff and partnering
agencies, and he has found deep satisfaction in working with the assigned Corp
Members. He is honored to lead the AmeriCorps NCCC North Central Region team.
Dan holds a Bachelors of Business Administration Degree and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. He and
his wife Brenda have been married for 33 years. They have two grown children and one grandson. Dan and
Brenda live near Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Jody Burns is currently the Deputy Region Director for Programming with
AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) North Central Region. She
has been with the organization for 19 years. As the Deputy Region Director for
Programming, she focuses on projects, training, service learning, member
development and accomplishment reportage for the North Central Region. Prior
to joining the AmeriCorps NCCC team, Jody worked in the areas of academic
service learning, career development and criminal justice.