SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES – 2016 ICUL

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Stacie VanDenBerghe
CEO of CU Innovate

Stacie VanDenBerghe has spent the last 18 years working in credit unions throughout Michigan to help develop, enhance and maximize credit union growth. Stacie has a wide variety of experience in the capacity of consultant, leadership, marketing, training and human resources. With significant business acumen and a unique ability to address a myriad of credit union issues in a captivating fashion.

Stacie spends the majority of her time speaking at credit unions through CUNA events, credit union leagues or consulting throughout the country on her own. She travels the country putting on workshops as well as working on-site at credit union locations and providing webinars to maintain leadership skills and abilities.

Stacie holds a master's degree in Human Resources Administration from Central Michigan University and a bachelor's degree in Communications from Michigan State University.

Stephanie Kifowit

Illinois State Representative

Stephanie Kifowit served her country in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1990-1994, is a former substitute teacher at East Aurora School District 131, and also previously served as the 3rd Ward alderman in the City of Aurora for 9 ½ years. She was elected to represent the 84th IL House District in 2012 (98th GA) and was re-elected in 2014 (99th GA) and currently serves as a full-time State Representative. The 84th IL House District contains portions of the City of Aurora, the Village of Montgomery, the Village of Oswego and the City of Naperville. Rep. Kifowit is an alumna of Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and a Master’s of Public Administration. Prior to serving in public office, Stephanie was a registered financial advisor with Morgan Stanley. She has been married to Steve for 20 years and they have two children. They had lived in Aurora for 18 years and have recently moved to Oswego. The family is complete with Steve’s daughter Alexandria, her husband William and their two children.

Representative Kifowit is a member of the Roosevelt-Aurora American Legion Post 84, Fox Valley Marines, DuPage County Marine Corps League, Women Marine Association, Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce, Aurora Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Quad County African American Chamber of Commerce and the Oswego Chamber of Commerce and is a founding member of S.H.A.R.E., which is a committee dedicated to supporting efforts against domestic violence. She currently serves on the IL House General Services Appropriation Committee as Vice Chairman, Financial Institutions, Health Care Licenses and Intermodal Infrastructure Committees.

Gail Marks Jarvis

Journalist

Gail MarksJarvis is one of the nation's most respected personal finance columnists. Her Chicago Tribune columns reach millions of readers in leading metropolitan newspapers throughout the U.S. She has been named "Best Financial Columnist" by Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, and has received 17 other journalism awards for her work, including a National Clarion Award for human rights reporting.
In addition to writing weekly columns, Gail delivers advice on personal finance, investing, business and financial markets in speeches and on television and radio. She has been a reporter for National Public Radio's "Marketplace," and has provided analysis on "Talk of the Nation," "Sound Money," public television, and ABC, NBC, and CBS affiliates. In Chicago, she is heard regularly on CLTV and is a guest on WGN radio.
Prior to starting her personal finance columns, she spent a decade covering business, won the nation's top award for airline reporting, and wrote for publications ranging from USA Today to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
During 10 years as a personal finance columnist, Gail heard from thousands of distressed readers about their investing mistakes.
"It was tragic," she said. "They were trying to do what was right, but were undermining their hard-earned savings. The mistakes were almost universal -- repeated by young and old, rich and poor, male and female, highly educated and less educated. Even experienced business people and multi-millionaires were calling me for help."
As a result, she wrote her book, "Saving for Retirement Without Living Like a Pauper or Winning the Lottery," so anyone could get fire-power out of their savings without laboring over their investments. She simplified practices used by professionals into a step-by-step guide that anyone can handle - "even people phobic about math," she says.
"It's a cover-to-cover must-read for everyone 16 to 60 who wants to live the American Dream," says Dallas Salisbury, CEO, of the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a respected, nonpartisan think tank.
In addition to her work in journalism, Gail has had direct experience managing a multi-million dollar endowment fund for a non-profit. She has served on the University of Minnesota School of Journalism Advisory Board, organized a mentoring program for aspiring journalists, and currently is on the board of governors for the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, a national organization that promotes high journalistic standards.

CALYN OSTROWSKI

Executive Director – World Council of Credit Union’s Foundation

Calyn is Executive Director of the World Council of Credit Union’s Foundation. In this capacity, she is responsible for the organization’s $1.4M fundraising initiatives, operations and grantmaking activities. The Foundation, in conjunction with the World Council’s development projects, helps millions of people transition from everyday survival to long-term planning for their future through credit unions. Calyn also oversees the Global Women’s Leadership Network.

Prior to joining World Council, she previously managed the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Global Health Initiative, a foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC where she worked to improve policies and programs for women in developing countries. She holds a Master's degree in nonprofit management from Case Western Reserve University.

ALICE WOOD

Alice Wood grew up in Naperville, Illinois, where she currently lives with her husband and children. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s College of Notre Dame and DePaul College of Law. Alice worked as an estate-planning attorney for many years and represented more than a thousand families, before dedicating herself to the promotion of financial literacy through the work she does for Wealth Watchers Foundation.