State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.

Dave Gonzales is Senior Vice President for State Farm Insurance Companies in the the Great Western Zone. He joined State Farm in 1980 as an auto company trainee in the Greeley, Colorado, office, where he was promoted to employment assistant and personnel specialist in 1981 and assistant personnel manager in 1982. He moved to corporate headquarters as an employment representative in 1984. Later that year he was named personnel manager in the Tempe, Arizona, office where he became a management assistant in 1988. He was appointed assistant division manager in the Dallas, Texas, office in 1989, auto division manager later that year, and fire division manager in 1990. Dave was named executive assistant at corporate headquarters in 1992 and was elected Deputy Regional Vice President in the Bakersfield, California, office in January 1994. He was named VP-Operations at Corporate Headquarters in 1998, and Regional Vice President in Arizona in 2000. Dave has served on many community and higher learning institution boards. He is an alum of Southern California Leadership and is a director on the State Farm General Company board. A native of Colorado, Dave received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley. He earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 1987.

Mike Fernandez is vice president of public affairs at State Farm, an insurance and financial services company that is the largest auto and home insurer in the U.S. In a public relations and marketing career that spans more than 25 years, Fernandez has had responsibility for many functions including corporate marketing, investor relations, government relations, media relations, employee communications, industry affairs, community relations, sponsorships and creative services. Prior to joining State Farm, he served as senior vice president and chief communications officer for ConAgra Foods, senior vice president of public affairs at CIGNA, and vice president of public relations at US WEST. Fernandez worked nine years as a public relations and marketing executive at Eastman Kodak Company. Prior to his corporate career, he worked in the world of political marketing and served seven years as press secretary to U.S. Senator Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings. Recognized as a "PR All Star" by Inside PR in 1999, Fernandez and his teams have earned top honors from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the American Marketing Association among others. He currently serves on the board of the Institute for Public Relations, is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and a participant in the Public Relations Seminar.

Sonya Gong is a Vice President of Operations at State Farm. She has worked in the insurance industry for 20 years, starting with the company in 1987 as an auto claim representative. Working her way up the ranks, she quickly became a Supervisor and Superintendent in Auto Claims before being selected as the Regional Public Affairs Manager for the states of Alabama and Mississippi. As a registered lobbyist, Sonya worked with the media, regulatory issues and philanthropic efforts in both states. In 1999, Sonya was named Director responsible for the Bloomington Customer Response Center and Bank Response Center; running a 7x24 operation. By 2001, Sonya relocated to Ohio where she oversaw the Health Operations for the eastern half of the US and managed a multi-state transition. In 2004, she was named as Executive Assistant to the President's Office in Bloomington, IL at State Farm's Corporate Headquarters and currently resides in Atlanta, GA where she was named to her most recent position in September 2006.

We want to welcome Bridget LaRochelle to the Calvary Staff as the Director of Tech/Production. She will be working with pastors and volunteers to support our regular Sunday Worship Services and other special services and events. Bridget has a bachelors degree in media and communications from Quincy University. She has worked at State Farm for the past six years in creative services as a technical director. Bridget and her husband, Dave are members of Calvary and have three beautiful children.

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David DeMoss, the DTCI PAC Treasurer, is the Managing Attorney for State Farm Litigation Counsel in Indianapolis. He is a member of the Trial Tactics and Insurance Coverage sections. David received his B.A. from Purdue and is a 1987 graduate of Indiana University school of Law in Indianapolis. He is a member of DRI and the ABA Staff Counsel Committee. David focuses his practice on personal injury defense and insurance coverage litigation. David is active in the community with involvement in Special Olympics, High School Mock Trial Competition and is a Heartland Pro Bono volunteer.

Hi, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Josephine Cullison and I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I have been happily married to Frank for 25 years. We have two wonderful adult children, Shannon age 22, who is an underwriting assistant at State Farm and Joseph age 19 who is a full time student at Bakersfield College. I have been very blessed to have such a wonderful and supportive family. I would never have been able to accomplish all that I have without them.

Kathy Miller, Agent with State Farm Insurance is served as the New Lenox Chamber of Commerce President for 2005. Kathy has been involved in the Chamber for several years and has chaired many committees including, most recently the Golf Outing and the annual Christmas party. Kathy has run her State Farm agency for the past 20 years on Route 30, the past 5 years being at her current location at 201 W. Maple, Rt. 30 in New Lenox. Her agency specializes in Insurance and Financial Products and she and her staff strive to provide exceptional customer service. For additional information on State Farm and Kathy's agency, please go to www.statefarm.com and click on the Agents tab.

Marvis Simpson Atlanta born, Marvis moved back to her hometown after graduating with her MBA from Florida A&M University. She moved back to study the insurance business in her fathers State Farm Insurance office. After working under his tutelage for five years Marvis applied for an agency position with State Farm to build her own office. She is currently an Agency Intern waiting on an agency opportunity in the near future with State Farm.

Michael Watz knows food! His educational background and his career testify to that statement. Watz, who was born in Rhode Island, holds an A.O.S. Degree from the Culinary Institute of America. For nearly 30 years, he has worked in every aspect of the hospitality industry for a variety of companies including the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA, the Marriott Host Corporation in Irvine, Cal., the Lincoln Restaurant Group in Dallas, Tex,. and the Restaurant Enterprise Group of Irvine, Cal. Watz and his wife, Joyce, who is an attorney for State Farm, live in Evanston. They have three grown children. Return to The Board - Main Listing.

Ms. Martinez is the former CEO of The Unity Council in Oakland, Ca. who developed the nationally recognized, $100 million Fruitvale Village, a model of sustainable neighborhood revitalization. President Jimmy Carter appointed her Assistant Secretary for the Office of Human Development Services, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, the first Latina appointed to a sub-cabinet level position in the history of the nation. She has served on the boards of the National Council of La Raza, Development Fund, CA Cultural & Historical Endowment, and the Advisory Councils for Citibank (CA/Nevada) and State Farm Bank. Ms. Martinez is the recipient of the San Francisco Foundation's Community Leadership Award, the Mike Sviridoff/LISC Leadership Award, the San Francisco Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Latino Business Leadership Award, the University of California Alumni Association Achievement in Excellence Award, and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Women's Hall of Fame. She received her MA in social work and BA from the University of California at Berkeley.

Commissioner Douglass has received a number of awards and honors, including the Gamma Sigma Delta award for Distinguished Service to West Virginia Agriculture and Progressive Farmer magazine's "Man of the Year" in West Virginia Agriculture. In 1990, he was enshrined into the West Virginia Agriculture and Forestry Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was inducted into the Auctioneers Hall of Fame. In 2002, Commissioner Douglass was presented the prestigious Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Administrator's Award. He was also honored by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) for his work safeguarding America's animal and plant industries. Commissioner Douglass chairs the State Conservation Committee, and is a member of the West Virginia Housing Development Fund and the Air Quality Board, a director for Peoples Bank of Point Pleasant, and a trustee for Pleasant Valley Hospital. He is a member of the board of the State Farm Museum, and is on the board of directors for the State Fair of West Virginia. Throughout his career, he has served on more than 25 boards, commissions and committees, including chairman of the West Virginia Air Pollution Control Commission and the State Forestry Commission. He and his wife Anna Lee, also a 4-H All-Star, have four children, six grandchildren, two great-grandsons and two great-granddaughters. They belong to the Leon Baptist Church. Commissioner Douglass is a Mason and a Shriner.

A 26-year employee of State Farm Insurance, Kelly is currently a Director in State Farm's Enterprise Internet Solutions area concentrating on departmental planning and strategy. Prior to her current role, Kelly has served in various developmental roles, including Section Manager of the Illinois Operations Center Auto Claim Central, business sponsor of the Asset Management Program, and a member of the Continuous Renewal Group focusing on employee retention. Kelly previously served as Director of State Farm's Project Prioritization Office (PPO). Working with State Farm's executive leadership, the PPO is responsible for the prioritization of State Farm's business strategic IT efforts and management of the business strategic IT portfolio. The PPO was formed in 2001 under Kelly's leadership. Kelly, following in her own mother's footsteps, believes strongly in giving back to and being involved in her community. She served as president of the Central Illinois chapter of CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters). With over 1,100 members, the Central Illinois chapter is the largest in the world. Kelly is currently on the national Ethics committee for the CPCU Society. Kelly has also been very involved with the Crystal Ball--a major fundraising effort of the OSF St. Joseph Medical Center Auxiliary--having led their ad sales/program committee and reservations and seating committee. In 2006, Kelly and her husband, Cory, co-chaired the Crystal Ball which raised over $118,000. Kelly has volunteered time to other community efforts, including her church, the Children's Discovery Museum Sweet Discovery fundraising event, Relay for Life, the Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure, the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis, and the Salvation Army. Kelly is currently the president of the Bloomington-Normal Alpha Xi Delta Alumnae Association. Kelly was selected as Co-President of Leadership Illinois for 2007-2008. She was previously a member of the Leadership Illinois Board of Directors. She also served as a member of the Leadership Illinoisshe does. In 2004 the museum was invited to be the lead development for the Town of Normal's uptown re-development project. Opening in November 2004 the museum continues to be guided by Shari's passion and direction. She is very involved in many local community groups, as well as state and national museum boards and education advisory committees. She is currently serving in leadership positions as President of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer of Illinois Association of Museums, and board member of Leadership Illinois. She is an active member at St. John's Lutheran Church. She is married to Mark Buckellew and is the proud mother of two young adults; Scott, a recent graduate of St. Louis University, and Jessi who is a Junior at Purdue University.

Ken Fischer, Vice Chair, is a State Farm agent in Concord and lives in Moraga with his wife, Martha. He has a Bachelor's degree in History from U.C. Santa Barbara. He enjoys running with the Orinda Roadrunners and kayaking as well as exploring the trails and undeveloped areas of Contra Costa County. He serves on the Finance Committee of the Land Trust and the Risk Management Committee of Shelter, Inc. He is also a member of the committee writing a habitat preservation and restoration plan for the Town of Moraga's Mullholland Ridge Open Space Preserve.