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DuPage Foundation Welcomes Four New Trustees

(Left to right): William E. Blum; Denise A. Horne; John W. Kaiser, Jr.; and Dorothy I. O’Reilly

DOWNERS GROVE, Illinois—The DuPage Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of William E. Blum; Denise A. Horne; John W. Kaiser, Jr.; and Dorothy I. O’Reilly to its Board of Trustees. Recently, all four were elected to the Board and officially began their tenure at the Foundation’s Annual Board Meeting on September 21, 2017, at Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora. The new Trustees replaced three retiring Trustees: Phillip R. Cabrera, Marilyn K. Gaston, and Richard W. Kuhn.

William E. Blum
Blum has spent more than 20 years in the automotive finance industry. He was recently named the CFO and principal of the Ghaben Auto Group in Westmont. During his career, Blum has held various positions with Navistar Financial Services, Harley-Davidson, KeyBank Auto Finance, and FirstMerit Bank.

In addition to his service on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Blum is an active member of the Saints Peter & Paul School community in Naperville where he served as a school board member and co-chair of the golf outing committee. He also volunteered his time on the fundraising board of Hinsdale’s RML Specialty Hospital.

Blum earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and his MBA in finance from DePaul University. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Naperville with their three daughters.

“I was motivated to serve on the DuPage Foundation’s Board of Trustees to help those in need,” said Blum. “I wanted to give back within the county where I live and grew up.”

Denise A. Horne
Horne leads McDonald’s Corporate Legal Department, which provides advice and counsel regarding the company’s securities law compliance, general corporate law, domestic and international finance, executive compensation, ERISA, and subsidiary management. She also provides advice and counsel regarding matters of corporate governance in her capacity as assistant secretary to McDonald’s Board of Directors.

Prior to joining McDonald’s, Horne was in private practice with the Chicago law firm of Keck, Mahin & Cate, where she specialized in corporate and securities law matters.

Horne earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from Marquette University’s College of Business Administration then earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s College of Law.

Along with her service on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Horne remains involved with the Marquette University community where she appears as a guest lecturer and donates her time in the student mentoring program. She recently served on the Society for Corporate Governance’s board of directors. Horne chaired the Society’s membership committee and remains active as a member of the Chicago Chapter’s advisory committee.

"It’s an honor to become a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees,” said Horne. “I am looking forward to giving back to the community.” She and her husband, John Pcolinski, live in Naperville with their two children.

John W. Kaiser, Jr.
John Kaiser co-founded Cray, Kaiser Ltd. in 1972, a full-service accounting and business advisory service with three offices in the Chicagoland area. Along with his partner, the late Jim Cray, he was determined to distinguish their firm from the pack by fostering authentic, long-term relationships with customers. Kaiser has helped innumerable clients make critically important financial decisions to improve their personal and professional goals. Recently, he has focused his attention to giving back to the industry to which he has devoted his career. Fostering the next generation of professionals, he cultivates new talent and delivers seminars on tax and business finance topics at varied organizations.

In addition to his service to the Foundation, Kaiser has served on the Diocese of Joliet School Board, the DuPage County Estate Planning Council, and Sharing Connections.

Kaiser earned his bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and his master’s degree from Northwestern University. He and his wife, Paulette, live in Glen Ellyn.

“I know how the Foundation can be a great resource for individuals and organization to foster their philanthropic activity,” said Kaiser. “By serving on the Board I want to continue getting that message out there.”

Dorothy I. O’Reilly
Dorothy O’Reilly is a gifted artist and a tireless advocate for individuals who suffer with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, and mental illness. For more than three decades, O’Reilly has shared her talents and countless hours with the DuPage Foundation, Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) DuPage. She has played a critical role in planning the Foundation’s Annual Benefit and the Marianjoy Auxiliary’s Legacy Ball.

O’Reilly resides in Wheaton and has five grown children. In 2016, she was recognized by the West Suburban Philanthropic Network (WSPN) with its Philanthropic Leadership Award.

“I wanted to serve on the Foundation’s Board to help all of the wonderful organizations in DuPage County,” said O’Reilly. “There are so many not-for-profits that benefit from what we do.”

About the DuPage Foundation
The DuPage Foundation is DuPage County’s philanthropic leader. Established in 1986 to raise the quality of life throughout DuPage County, the Foundation serves our community by helping area residents and organizations realize their unique charitable goals, providing impactful support to our community’s not-for-profits, and fostering key partnerships to address critical issues affecting DuPage County.

As a 501(c)(3) public charity, the Foundation receives contributions and bequests from individuals, corporations, organizations and foundations looking to make a difference for our community and the causes about which they are most passionate. Since its inception, the Foundation has grown to nearly $90 million in assets and awarded nearly $35 million in grants to not-for-profit agencies serving the residents of DuPage County and beyond.

For more information about the Foundation, visit www.dupagefoundation.org. To arrange future media opportunities, please contact William Pearch, marketing manager, at 630.598.5290, or bill@dupagefoundation.org.

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