2023-24 Corporate Board Members
Kelly Paton
President
Kelly attended the Flagship Seminar for Illinois Leadership Seminars in 2006 and that kicked off her passion for volunteering and working with nonprofits. She was the Director of Operations from 2011 - 2015 and then took a break to get her Master's Degree in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University and volunteer at the Rio Summer Olympics in 2016. She is currently the System Administrator for Homeless Services in Washington, DC.
Ixtel Viramontes
Seminar Chairperson
Ixtel attended Illinois Leadership Seminars for Genoa-Kingston High School in 2011 and she hasn’t missed one since. She has held different positions as a junior staffer, on the Alumni Board as fundraising director, a junior coach and a media ninja. As an adult she has assisted where ever needed as Assistant Director of Operations, Assistant Seminar Chair, and now serves as the Seminar Chair. She graduated from Elmhurst College in 2017 with a BA in Sociology, earned her Masters in Conflict Resolution from Dominican University. She currently works for Columbia College Chicago as the Assistant Director of Transfer Initiatives.
Ankit Patel
Treasurer
Ankit Patel attended the Illinois Leadership Seminars as a representative from Watseka Community High School in 2011. Since attending, Ankit has continued to volunteer in a variety of roles, including Assistant Seminar Chair and Assistant Director of Adwin. After graduating from WCHS in 2013, Ankit pursued a BS in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently completing an MS in Mechanical Engineering remotely from the same school. He is currently a Software Systems Engineer for John Deere currently based out of Chicago, IL. Ankit has a passion for personal development and consistently drives to find ways to help better the community around him.
Tony Cantinella
Secretary
Tony has been involved with ILS since 2013. In the time since, he has been a Spirit Leader, Junior Coach, Senior Coach, Seminar Chair, and has been involved with the organization outside of seminar. Since graduating from Iowa State University in 2019, Tony now works for American Campus Communities as a Corporate Leasing and Marketing Specialist for their off-campus student housing properties across the country.
Haley Sadovsky
Director of Marketing
Josh Fredrickson
Director of Fundraising
Josh attended our seminar in 2012 representing East Leyden High School in Franklin Park. He attended Western Illinois University before returning to Chicago. He has a background in political and community organizing and currently works in customs brokerage. Josh has continued his involvement with ILS, having held positions on our alumni board, our seminar staff, and as a previous member of the Seminar Planning Committee as Assistant Director of Operations and Director of Staff.
Haley Sadovsky attended Illinois Leadership Seminar as a representative from Mt. Olive High School in 2010. Each year since attending, Haley has continued to volunteer in a variety of roles at seminar, most recently as the Director of Media. Haley earned her BA in Mass Communication from Eastern Illinois University followed by an MS in International Relations from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. She is currently the Assistant Director of Brand Marketing at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.
Madison Gillis
Co-Alumni Advisor
Madison (she/her) attended Illinois Leadership Seminars in 2014 representing Naperville North High School. After she went through seminar, she became passionate about leadership and stayed involved with the organization ever since. She has served a variety of roles from Junior Staff to Spirit Leader and now as an adult, serving as a Senior Coach and Co-Alumni Advisor. Madison graduated from Illinois State University in 2020, holding degrees in Theatre Education and Acting. She now teaches high school theatre and speech in the suburbs of Chicago. She is passionate about uplifting youth’s voices to make positive change in the world.
Samantha Kiluk
Co-Alumni Advisor
Samantha attended ILS in 2013, representing Downers Grove North High School and has been involved in every seminar since. From being a junior coach and on Adwin to her current roles as seminar Recruitment Director and Corporate Board Secretary. Samantha holds a degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan Tech and practices as a Bridge Engineer.
An innovative, people-centric leader who defines, designs, and implements strategic programs and initiatives, Frances Wallace excels in building diverse workforces and creating inclusive work environments. Her career has been marked by excellence in translating metrics, research, and trends into effective operational strategies.
A voracious lifelong learner, Ms. Wallace obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Religions from the University of Ghana. She continued her education at Southern Illinois University, where she obtained a Master of Arts degree in Communications.
Ms. Wallace continues to seize every opportunity to further her education. In addition to her educational credentials, she also holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the PMI and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Inclusive & Educational Leadership certificates from USF. Recently, she obtained a Certificate in Sustainable Business Strategies from Harvard Business School, as well as a Certificate in Leadership – with an emphasis on Women in Leadership – from Cornell University.
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Natalie Garling
GFWC Representative
Natalie attended ILS as a high school sophomore back in 1999 and has been involved ever since. She was very involved in Junior Staff and has served as Senior Coach and Director of Programming. She is currently serving as GFWC IL Liaison on Corporate Board and focuses on maintaining and strengthening the incredible support received from GFWC Illinois clubs across the state.
Frances Wallace
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Rob Williams
Member At Large
Rob Williams attended Illinois Leadership Seminar in 2013, from Vernon Hills High School. He has since served as a coach and Director of Programming for Seminar. After getting his BA from Augustana College in History Education, Rob is presently working as a teacher, track coach, and pursuing a History MA from Pittsburg State University.
Becca Gorman
Member At Large
Becca went through seminar in 2016 as a representative from Washington Community High School. She recently graduated from Millikin University as a member of the class of 2022 with a bachelors in finance. She has since come back to seminar multiple times to volunteer with the AdWin team. Becca currently works for a non-profit in Decatur, IL as the finance manager. Becca has a passion for both numbers and helping people. She is excited to use her skills to help unleash the leadership potential of Illinois’ youth!
Lisa Fluga
Member At Large
Lisa attended Illinois Leadership Seminar in 2008 representing Luther East High School and has only missed one seminar since. She has been involved with seminar and the organization in multiple ways, including junior coach, senior coach, adwin and operations team, media, and currently Assistant Seminar Chair. For the past 7 years, she has been a middle school math teacher in the south suburbs of Chicago.
Our Bylaws
The bylaws of an organization specify the numerous elements that affect the organization's operations. An organization's bylaws can contain provisions relating to the ways it conducts its affairs, the duties of its directors and the responsibilities of its officers and volunteers. Please click below to read our current bylaws for Illinois Leadership Seminars.