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2010 Jaycees Board

President - Heather Venema

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Heather joined the Davenport Jaycees at the Swing of the Quad Cities M-Night when she was a mere 21 years old!   She came down and sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"  on the dugout and was hooked! Heather graduated from St. Ambrose with a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and Marketing Communications in 2006, and completed her Masters in Organizational Leadership in December of 2008. Heather works as a Hall Director at SAU and also does some freelance writing for marketing agencies in the QC.   In her spare time she loves to run, read and play volleyball! Her favorite Jaycee project is the Haunted House - both the building and the scaring!  Her top Jaycee moment so far is when she won $500 cash at the Mallard's M-Night during an on-ice blackjack game.

Vice-President of Management - Ashley Binks

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Ashley came to the Jaycees after seeing our booth at the 2007 Bridal Expo.  She also had a friend, Heather Venema, who was already a member and who also encouraged Ashley to join.   Ashley graduated from St. Ambrose University with a Bachelors in Psychology (which she uses to try and figure us all out) and her Masters in Occupational Therapy.  She currently works for the Genesis Visiting Nurses with a focus in pediatrics, although she works with all ages.  She also works as a PRN at Genesis Pediatric Outpatient.   In her spare time, when she's not busy with the Jaycees, Ashley is a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Quad Cities.  Her favorite Jaycee project by far is the Haunted House because it's full of thrills, chills, and laughs!   One of her favorite Jaycee memories is when she and fellow Jaycees Heather Venema and Hilary Binks got dressed up in costumes for the "Murder in the Double-Wide" M-Night event and walked into the wrong party!  Instead of entering through the front entrance, they entered a side door walked right into a wedding reception!  Let just say they were wearing not-so-tasteful attire!

Vice-President of Membership - Mikey Roederer

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Mikey officially joined the Jaycees at the Swing (now River Bandits) Baseball M-Night, but had already been doing the good work of the Jaycees by volunteering for Cans for Kids and stimulating the economy of Hawkeye Tap as a member of the Jaycees volleyball team.  While most people would only recognize Mikey in his unbelievably creepy clown outfit (mostly worn for Haunted House purposes), Mikeys favorite Jaycees event is actually the Jaycees Santa Project.  Mikey attended Paul Smith's College of the Adirondacks where he earned a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management.  Mikey aspires to own a restaurant featured on the Food Networks "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" but may have to settle for just watching the show in the meantime.

Vice-President of Public Relations & Marketing - Alan Hartley

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Alan joined the Jaycees in December of 2008.  He was first introduced to the Jaycees after an M-Night Golf themed Murder Mystery.  Since then he has been consistently involved in events.  One of the favorite things that Alan has done in his time with the Jaycees is the time spent helping others in all of the various activities that we help and support.  Alan is currently employeed at St. Ambrose University and is pursuing his Masters degree in Educational Administration.

Vice-President of Community Development - Amy Jones

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 Amy Jones has been a member of the Davenport Jaycees for several years and is pleased to be part of the board.  She joined the Jaycee’s because of the chapter’s commitment to service in the local community and to network with other like-minded young professionals.  Amy graduated from St. Ambrose University with a bachelor’s degree in radio/TV broadcasting and journalism and received her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa in 2005.

Amy currently works at St. Ambrose University as their Director of Events and Special Projects in the Advancement Office.  She lives in Rock Island with her husband Jason and their 17 pound cat, Keone.

Vice-President of Individual Development - Pat Olsen

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Pat joined the Jaycees in March of 2009.  Since then he has been actively involved in Jaycee events ranging from the famous bridal expo to playing on the softball team.  Pat's favorite Jaycee event so far is Jaycee Santa because of its impact on local children and families.  His favorite Jaycee memory is the long rain delayed Cubs trip and the 10th inning victory we witnessed.  Pat graduated from Saint Ambrose University with a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and Economics.  While at SAU, Pat spearheaded an effort to bring world renowned author and success coach, Jack Canfield, to campus to raise money for student scholarships.  Pat is currently loving every minute as a financial advisor with Riverbend Financial Group/MassMutual Financial Group in Davenport and is pursuing his Chartered Financial Consultant Designation (ChFC) from the American College in Bryn Mawr, PA.

Secretary - Stella O'Rourke

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Stella joined the Jaycees early in 2006 after volunteering at both the Haunted House and Bridal Expo.  It was at the 2005 Haunted House that Stella got her nickname "Chainsaw."  To this day she denies chopping up an innocent bystander, claiming that the woman ran into her chainsaw and was not actually attacked.  Stella earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees from St. Ambrose University and currently works there in the campus ministry department organizing service trips and projects.  Her favorite Jaycees memory was the first trip to the Haunted House Convention when the RV broke down and the police sat around and watched while the Jaycees got it back up and running. This is Stella’s second time serving as secretary for the Jaycees.

Treasurer - Alana Carroll

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Alana joined the Davenport Jaycees after participating in the first scavenger hunt M-Night.  Although her team didn’t win, she had a great time, especially since she was the designated eater at each bar! Alana graduated from St. Ambrose University with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting in 2005 and her master’s in Accounting from the University of Iowa in 2006.  Alana works for Deloitte Tax providing tax services for clients throughout the area.  Some of her hobbies are reading, watching sports, and spending time with friends and family.  Alana’s favorite thing about the Jaycees is that it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet new people in the community.

State Director - Chad Gaul

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Chad is the State Director for the Davenport Jaycees. As State Director he spends a lot of time on the road visiting other Jaycee chapters throughout the state of Iowa and sometimes he even crosses state lines! He has been a member of the Davenport Jaycees since 2003. He earned a degree in finance and economics from St. Ambrose University and is currently employed there as the Assistant Director for Alumni and Parent Relations. He credits the Jaycees for having the opportunity to be involved in an organization with like-minded people that want to have a vested interest in the community they live in. His top Jaycee moment was when he met the 2006 National Jaycee President in February.

Chairman of the Board - Chris Mandle

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Chris joined the Jaycees after being persuaded into helping with the Haunted House one year by a friend in the organization.  A year and a half later he ended up being President and stayed in that position for three years!  He now currently serves as Chairman of the Board.  During his tenure as President he began a revitalization known as "The Revolution" which sought to grow the chapter in members and community exposure and did so with great success.  It was also during this time that the chapter celebrated it's 75th Anniversary culminating with a the construction of the Davenport Jaycees Commons Children's Park in downtown Davenport.  Chris graduated from St. Ambrose University with degrees in both Graphic Design and Theology, along with a master's in Theology.  He and his wife Kristen currently reside in Rock Island, where he operates Mandle Design, a graphic design firm in the Quad Cities.   Although heavily involved in many Jaycees projects over the years including Bridal Expo, the Easter Egg Hunt, and Jaycee Santa, Chris says his favorite project is the Haunted House.  The best part of being a in the Jaycees are the great friendships you make and all of the laughs along the way - and these two facts are found to be the most true for him during the many Haunted House seasons, where there's enough laughs and memories to last a lifetime!

Feel free to contact any of us for more information on how we can help better your experiences with the Davenport Jaycees.