Glenview trustees Bland, DeBoni, earn awards from Crain's
Crain's Chicago Business has recognized Glenview trustees Jim Bland and Gina DeBoni in its 2021 awards programs.
Bland was among 30 honored as Notable Military Veteran Executives; DeBoni was among nearly 100 honored in Crain's Notable Gen X Leaders in Accounting, Consulting and Law.
"I'm honored and humbled by my inclusion in the Notable Military Veteran Executives class by Crain's Chicago Business," Bland said.
"Service to the nation and my community is something I hold sacred, and I hope my story inspires more veterans to serve the communities in which they live," he said.
A partner with NextGen Growth Partners, a private equity firm that helps entrepreneurs acquire promising businesses, Bland actively recruits veterans to lead acquired companies, Crain's noted.
Bland was a field artillery captain in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve from 1997-2006. Currently he serves as the civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army for Illinois.
A native of Chicago's South Side who has lived with his family in Glenview the past 13 years, Bland has a three-star general protocol rank.
He earned a science degree at the United States Military Academy in 1997, and attained a master's of business administration degree from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.
Glenview Village President Mike Jenny appointed Bland to the village board in June to fill the seat Jenny himself left vacant when he was elected.
DeBoni was elected to the board in April. She's a managing partner at the Chicago law firm Romanucci & Blandin.
"It's an honor to be named to the Crain's Chicago Business list of Notable Gen X Leaders in Accounting, Consulting and Law," DeBoni said. "I am humbled by the recognition of my work on issues critical to our community, such as sex trafficking and environmental accountability, and I appreciate being acknowledged for my contributions to the broader Chicago-area community."
Crain's highlighted DeBoni's advocating for Romanucci & Blandin's clients who have suffered from such things as traumatic personal injury, police misconduct, hazing and sex trafficking.
She worked on the Sterigenics case in Willowbrook when it was learned the DuPage County company had been emitting a cancer-causing chemical for decades, and met with Environmental Protection Agency officials about regulating the toxic chemical, ethylene oxide, Crain's noted.
She also advocated on behalf of the mother of a sex trafficking victim who was murdered in Chicago, Crain's reported. The mother testified before a U.S. Senate committee, and she and DeBoni attended a White House ceremony when laws were passed prohibiting online advertisement of children for sex.
"There is always more work to be done, and I hope to help make an impact in the fabric of our community," DeBoni told the Herald. "I look forward to continuing to direct my energy and efforts to the causes where I can make a difference, both as the managing partner of Romanucci & Blandin and as a village trustee for Glenview."