IVAC names 2 new board members

Every individual here is dedicated to improving the economic prosperity of this community and enhancing the quality of life for our residents.

—  Heather Hammitt, new Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce board of director

The Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors welcomed Clayton Theisinger and Heather Hammitt as their two newest board members for the chamber.

Theisinger brings more than 10 years of experience in education to the board. He has held roles as a special education teacher at La Salle-Peru High School, director of teaching and learning at LPHS, principal at Putnam County High School, and serves as superintendent of Putnam County Community Unit School District 535. With his experience, Theisinger, brings an understanding of the need for the education system and the business community to collaborate to build citizenry and workforce and ensure continued community growth, the board said in a press release.

He is excited to be able to share his insight and recommendations as a member of the IVAC board to continue to develop those connections regionally, saying, “I look forward to being part of the great work at IVAC and assisting in promoting its vision focused on the betterment of business and quality of life in our community.”

The addition of Hammitt provides the IVAC board with representation for nonprofit organizations. She is past president for the Illinois Valley Society for Human Resource Management and has more than 20 years of HR and corporate communication experience. She brings corporate experience in staff development, recruitment and retention, and employee relations as well as non-profit experience in strategic planning, board leadership, and more.

“I am excited for the opportunity to work alongside so many amazing representatives from our local business community, particularly as a voice representing the area’s non-profit groups,” Hammitt said. “The business leaders of the Illinois Valley have a wealth of collective knowledge and expertise to offer each other, and I can think of no better resource than the Chamber to tap into those synergies. Every individual here is dedicated to improving the economic prosperity of this community and enhancing the quality of life for our residents.”

Her experience in HR services and professional boards provides IVAC with insight for continued program development around talent pipeline development and allows the organization to continue to develop strong internal programing, the board said.

The board also thanked exiting board members Chris Eager, Epsilyte, and Deon Van Den Burg, Washington Mills, for their time and commitment to IVAC during their time on the board.