Board Members

Executive Committee

Kurt is wearing a black suit, white shirt, and a tie.

Kurt Norris – President

Kurt Norris serves as President on the Executive Committee and is sighted. He is retired and worked as the Global Director of Rental and Used Equipment Services for Caterpillar Inc. He has 34 years of financial and marketing experience working for Caterpillar and supported the needs of Caterpillar Dealers around the world.

 

Chris is smiling and wearing glasses and a red checkered button down shirt.

Chris Willey – Vice President

Chris serves as the Vice President on the Executive Committee. He has worked with Caterpillar for 18+ years. Chris’ father was blind and passionate about breaking barriers/stereotypes for the blind and the visually impaired. Like his father, Chris has a passion for problem-solving. He is looking forward to continuing his father’s legacy through advocacy and ally-ship while serving on the board.

Steve Knecht – Finance Chair

Steve serves as a Finance Chairperson on the Executive Committee and is sighted. He is a retired Caterpillar employee and is a Certified Public Accountant, graduating from Illinois State University.  He is a member of St. Philomena Roman Catholic Church.  He enjoys family events, outdoor sports and travel.

 

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Lance Barke – Secretary

Lance serves as Secretary on the Executive Committee and has low vision. He received a Bachelor’s in Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Master’s in Engineering from Bradley University. He started working full-time at Caterpillar in 2011 and loves making a positive impact on the world in his professional career and looks to make an even greater impact within his personal life by being on the Board of Directors. All of this has been possible in his life through the love and support of Jesus Christ, family and friends.

 

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Deb Conklin – Human Resources

Deb serves as Human Resources on the Executive Committee. She is a US Army veteran and has worked at Caterpillar for 24 years. She has near-normal vision with recurrent uveitis, having experienced temporary blindness for 6 weeks. Deb has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Engineering from the University of Illinois, and an Executive MBA from Bradley.

David Murphy – Facility & Transportation

David serves as Facility & Transportation on the Executive Committee and is sighted. David is a Global Account Manager with Parker Hannifin Corporation in Peoria. He is a graduate of Illinois State University.  He is a member of St. Philomena Roman Catholic Church.  He enjoys traveling, exercising, and spending time with family and friends.

Board of Directors

Dr. Stephen Eyler – Director

Dr. Eyler serves as a Director on the Board of Directors. He is a comprehensive ophthalmologist, able to provide primary eye care to patients at Illinois Eye Center, as well as cataract and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery.  He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and received his MD from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa, City, IA.  He is a member of the American Medical Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

 

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Gyla Grigsby – Director

Gyla Grigsby serves as a Director on the Board of Directors. She has been employed assembling items for Caterpillar and for the Pekin Times and has low vision. When she was 18, she became involved with the Center as a patron and has spent the past 15 years serving on the Board of Directors.

 

Kirk Johnson  – Director

Kirk serves as a Director on the Board of Directors. Kirk and his wife Ruth have three grown children and three grandchildren.  His entire business career has  been with Uftring Auto Group, where he is currently Corporate Secretary/Treasurer and CFO.  He formed the “Uftring Ambassador Initiative” to give back to our communities and to those in need, by Uftring employees volunteering their time and talents, which is how he first learned about CICBVI.

 

Xin has short, black hair, glasses, and is wearing a black shirt while smiling.

Xin Lu – Director

Xin serves as a Director on the Board of Directors. She grew up in Beijing, China, and became visually impaired as a teenager from glaucoma. Xin has lived in the U.S. for 23 years and worked in treasury management for a global pharmaceutical company. She earned her MBA from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

 

Cora is smiling with short, white hair, earrings, and a teal sweater.

Cora Quinn – Director

Cora Quinn serves as Program Committee Chairperson on the Board of Directors. She is totally blind and has served on the Executive board as President. Cora first became involved at the Center as a patron attending social outings and eventually became involved on the Board of Directors. Cora’s hobbies include listening to Cardinals baseball games, knitting, spending time her dog, and reading.

Gabe is smiling, with short black hair and a slight beard. He is wearing a gray suite jacket with wine colored vest and light gray button-up shirt underneath.

Gabriel DuBois – Director

Gabriel DuBois serves as a Director on the Board of Directors. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a MBA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He has worked at Caterpillar for 17+ years. He enjoys traveling, spending time with his family, and anything sports related especially coaching his two boys.

Jamie is smiling, with long, curly brown hair. She is wearing a black suite jacket with black shirt underneath, and a gold necklace.

Jamie Mammen – Director

Jamie Mammen serves as a Director on the Board of Directors. She is a tenured marketing professional with 20 years of experience, currently with RLI Insurance. She has bachelor’s degrees from Monmouth College in Business Administration and Public Relations. Originally from a small town in north central Illinois, Jamie has made the Peoria region her home since 2005. In her free time she volunteers throughout Central Illinois and enjoys the outdoors with her husband, Chad.