The Illinois Chamber, and the business community we represent, has a long and storied history. An integral part of the Chamber’s history is its Board of Directors, which has provided superb leadership from diverse economic sectors and every region of the state for over a century. Below is a representation of that history through our list of past Chairs of the Board.
| Years of Service | First Name | Last Name | Company Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919-1924 | George W. | Woodruff | National Bank of Republic |
| 1966-1968 | E. Stanley | Enlund | – |
| 1968-1970 | – | – | – |
| 1970-1972 | – | – | – |
| 1972-1974 | Wendell | Kelley | CEO Illinois Power |
| 1974-1976 | Marc | Buettell | Ideal Industries |
| 1976-1978 | Amos | Buettell | Crown Industrial Products |
| 1978-1980 | Donald | Ramlo | – |
| 1980-1982 | Richard | Bishop | Pres First National Bank of Galesburg |
| 1982-1984 | Anthony | Mandolini | Mandolini Company |
| 1984-1986 | Chester | Lasell | Deere & Company |
| 1986-1988 | Edward | Fillatrault | Northern Illinois Gas Company |
| 1988-1990 | James | Vonachen | Vonachen Service & Supply |
| 1990-1992 | Harry | Seigle | The Elgin Company |
| 1992-1994 | Robert J. | Currey | Consolidated Communications |
| 1994-1996 | James P. | Widick | Motorola Solutions |
| 1996-1998 | James M. | Schultz | Prairie Ventures |
| 1998-2000 | Steven M. | Singer | Wilhelm & Conlon |
| 2000-2002, 6-2006 – 12-2006 |
George W. | Beck | Beck Bus |
| 2002-2004 | Ray | Neisewander, III | Raynor Mfg. Co. |
| 2004-2006 | Robert J. | Imler | Riverstone Group |
| 2006-2008 | Joseph | Dively | Consolidated Communications |
| 2008-2010 | Calvin G. | Butler | Exelon Corporation (ComEd) |
| 2010-2012 | Mary | Crego | State Farm |
| 2012-2014 | Raymond | Drake | UPS |
| 2014-2016 | Matt | Gambs | Wintrust Financial |
| 2016-2018 | Tony | Reinhart | Ford Motor Company |
| 2018-2020 | Megan | Woltman | Advocate HealthCare |
| 2020-2022 | Brent | Eichelberger | Commerce Bank |
| 2022-2024 | Ann | Deters | Vantage Surgical Solutions |
| 2024-2026 | Dan | Wagner | The Inland Real Estate Group |