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Six join Metropolitan Family Services community board

Metropolitan Family Services DuPage recently welcomed six new members to its community board.

All active supporters of the DuPage County communities Metropolitan serves, Gina Sharp of Naperville, Steve Junk of Downers Grove, April Arnold of Lombard, Dan McGowan of Wheaton, Greg Vesta of Bartlett and Mary Beth McLean of Elmhurst contribute experience in fields including law enforcement, business, advocacy, financial services, information technology and health care.

The DuPage Community Board supports all 33 DuPage communities by raising funds and awareness for Metropolitan's DuPage Center, which last year served 7,775 clients in its mission to empower children and families to learn, to earn, to heal and to thrive.

"Everyone goes through times in their lives when they need to lean on someone. Metropolitan DuPage provides programs and services that assist in empowering DuPage families," board Chairman Bill Jennrich said.

"The help that Metropolitan DuPage provides empowers those families to achieve long term successes."

Here's a look at the board members:

• Gina Sharp is president of Linden Oaks Behavioral Health, a part of Edward-Elmhurst Health, which provides mental health and substance use services to individuals.

Sharp is passionate about breaking the stigma of mental illness and substance abuse and has implemented integrative services with medical care so individuals can be treated both physically and mentally.

She has been involved in numerous volunteer efforts and served on the board for Family Shelter Service, the Naperville Chamber of Commerce and KidsMatter, and volunteers with her son at the Young Men's Service League.

• Steve Junk most recently was CIO of Ulta Beauty and is now semiretired. He does consulting work with several retail outlets and private equity firms.

He served on the board of directors of Family Shelter Service for six years and, together with his wife, has been a volunteer for DuPage PADS for 30 years.

• April Arnold served on the Family Shelter Service board of directors, bringing experience in nonprofit fundraising, marketing and partnership development. Her background in education and the arts includes positions with Northern Illinois University, Elmhurst College, the DuPage Children's Museum, Elmhurst Art Museum, Arts Alliance Illinois, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

She was recognized as an Outstanding Volunteer by the West Suburban Philanthropic Network in 2019.

• Dan McGowan, director of marketing at Glory Global Solutions, leads his firm's Americas marketing practice across several consumer segments. He has held numerous marketing leadership positions, including with Motorola Solutions, HAWA, and McMaster-Carr.

• Greg Vesta has been the Wood Dale police chief since 2011. He joined the department in 1996 as a patrol officer and also served as a field training officer, range instructor, rapid deployment and baton instructor, and accreditation manager, sergeant and deputy chief.

He is a member of the executive board of the DuPage County Chiefs of Police Association and the DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group. He is an active member of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

• Mary Beth McLean considers herself a financial caregiver. She devotes much of her practice at My Private Vista to working with women to take control of their financial matters. She empowers her clients by helping them conceive their future, relieve their fears and achieve their dreams.

She has served on boards at Family Shelter Service, Elmhurst College and Community, 100 Women Who Care Elmhurst Chapter, and Assistance League of Chicago West.

About the agencies

Since 1976, Family Shelter Service of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage has provided emergency and crisis services for DuPage residents experiencing domestic violence. Each year, the organization touches the lives of more than 20,000 people, providing emergency shelter, counseling, case management, 24-hour hotline, community outreach, court and victim advocacy and prevention education.

In 2019, it merged with Metropolitan Family Services DuPage, expanding its capacity to reach more domestic violence survivors and creating a seamless continuum of supportive services.

Metropolitan Family Services DuPage, which started more than 80 years ago, is a family service/mental health agency serving some of DuPage's most vulnerable children and families.

It provides early childhood education, parent education, family therapy, youth mentoring, psychiatric and mental health services for all ages, and services for older adults and their caregivers.

For details, visit www.metrofamily.org.

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