As a farmer, past communications consultant and association manager, Heather Hampton+Knodle is dedicated to developing rural economies through incentivizing investments in telecommunications, innovative workforce development and enabling entrepreneurship.  Heather was the founding chairman of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, the Central Illinois Economic Development Authority and the Montgomery CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program.  She currently serves as the appointed Vice Chairman of the Accelerating Broadband Deployment Working Group of the Federal Communications Commission Precision Agriculture Task Force and as a Citizen Member appointee to Illinois Governor’s Rural Affairs Council.  Heather farms with her husband Brian where they and their four children grow corn, soybeans, and wheat and manage a small herd of black Angus cattle.

Hope is the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Grant Services for the Hillsboro School District. After graduating from SIUE with a degree in elementary education, she began her teaching career in 2008 at Beckemeyer Elementary School. In 2019, she moved to her current administrative role where she has worked to expand dual credit and CTE opportunities to students in Montgomery County. She is a proud graduate of the Hillsboro School District and currently resides in Hillsboro with her husband and two young children.

Bruce Compton is senior director of global health for the Catholic Health Association of the United States. He is based in the association's St. Louis office. Mr. Compton is responsible for assisting and supporting CHA-member organizations in their outreach activities in the developing world. His duties include facilitating collaboration among CHA-member organizations and others, seeking to enhance the impact of international ministries. Additionally, he is responsible for education regarding international outreach issues and encouraging CHA members' participation in various activities of international ministry. Mr. Compton lived in Haiti from 2000 to 2002, and he continued to work in support of health missions in the developing world after he returned to the U.S. He did so in his capacity as founding president and chief executive of Springfield, Ill.–based Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, a ministry organization bringing surplus medical supplies from Midwest hospitals to medical missions in the developing world.

Rachelle McDowell is the Principal at Nokomis Jr/Sr High School.  After graduating from Sangamon State University, she taught math for 24 years at Nokomis Junior High.  She earned her Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Eastern Illinois University in 2011 and has been the Jr/Sr High School Principal at Nokomis for the past 6 years.  She resides in Nokomis with her husband, Adam and children Alexis and Austin.   

Caleb is the School Counselor at Lincolnwood Jr-Sr High School. He has a Master’s Degree in Human Development Counseling from the University of Illinois – Springfield. He currently resides in Farmersville with his wife, Meghan and daughter, Nora.