WIM Fox Valley welcomes state Sen. Cristina Castro
WIM Fox Valley kicks off its year of speakers on Thursday, Sept. 14, with state Sen. Cristina Castro (22nd District).
The new meeting location for luncheons will be Grumpy Goat Tavern, 875 Sports Way in Elgin. It begins with networking at 11:30 a.m., luncheon and program at noon. Meetings adjourn at 1 p.m.
Cost for members is $22 or $25 for nonmembers. Area women in business are welcome to attend this month's presentation. Reservations must be made for attendance online at www.wimfoxvalley.org.
Castro is a second-generation Mexican-American and lifelong district resident. She has long been committed to her community and public service.
She has a marketing and communications management background and has held positions in both the public and private sector. Her public service career grew in 2008 when she was elected to the Kane County Board where she served on nine different committees, including chairwoman of judicial and public safety and chairwoman of energy and environment, human services. She also served on the board of directors for the Illinois Housing Development Authority, Black History Family Festival, and Centro de Informacion.
In 2015, she made the decision to run for the Illinois State Senate with the intention of using her professional background, life experiences and compassion to represent the interests and concerns of the people of the 22nd District in a bipartisan fashion to help solve problems and to move the state of Illinois in the right direction.
She and her husband, Joe McKeown, reside in Elgin.
"Our WIM members are successful entrepreneurs, managers, and dedicated community volunteers," said Michelle Groeper, this year's 2017-18 WIM Fox Valley president. "We look forward to hearing state Sen. Castro speak about her own experiences in Springfield."
Groeper, an Elgin resident, is executive director at Tails Humane Society in DeKalb. She adds, "We look forward to an exciting year of speakers and topics that will enrich our members and their businesses. We warmly welcome guests to attend our meetings to find out more about WIM Fox Valley."
Upcoming speakers include: Wendy Brant of Zenn Diagram on Oct. 12; Attorney Tempia Courts of Pluymert, MacDonald, Hargrove, Lee, Ltd. on Nov. 9; WIM Holiday Party on Dec. 7; Kyla Duewel of Twist & Twirl on Jan. 11; Dr. Savitha Susarla of OM Medispa on Feb. 8; guest speaker March 8; Catherine Tojaga of CT Mechanical LLC on April 12; and a WIM evening meeting in May.
WIM Fox Valley was founded in 1984. It is a leading women's business organization in Elgin providing professional development and business education scholarships and mentoring opportunities for area women. Members are comprised of women in business professionals and entrepreneurs in a wide range of categories. Area women are invited to join. For more information, visit www.wimfoxvalley.org.