The Foundation is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Officers are elected annually. Bylaws govern all activities of the Board. Committees of the Board include Development, Executive, Finance and Investment, Marketing, and Scholarship.
Foundation Directors
Lauree Harp
Lauree Harp lives in Arlington Heights and is a retired business and marketing professional. She served as the first executive director of the District 214 Community Education Foundation and as a founding board member of the Metropolis Performing Arts Center. A Community Spirit Hearts of Gold Award winner, Lauree chaired the Arlington Heights Quasquicentennial Committee and the Special Events Commission for the Village of Arlington Heights.
Frank Lee
Frank Lee has been a resident of Arlington Heights for 52 years and is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Valuation Analyst with the accounting firm of Weiss & Company LLP. Frank has served on the boards of Frontier Days, Christmas in April, Faith Community Homes, the Arlington Heights Housing Commission, and the Metropolis Performing Arts Center.
Chris Darrow
Chris Darrow retired in 2016 from a 35 plus year career in retail finance where he worked most recently on ERP system implementations for Walgreens Boots Alliance. Prior to that Chris was VP & Controller of Duane Reade a New York City retail pharmacy chain. While at Duane Reade Chris served as VP on the board of the Duane Reade Foundation whose philanthropic focus was directed toward NYC charities and Duane Reade retail store associates’ higher education. Chris currently is owner operator of his own financial consulting practice. In September of 2020 Chris sold his Long Island NY home and permanently relocated to Arlington Heights to be closer to his and his wife’s extended family.
JoAnne Gunderson
JoAnne Gunderson grew up in Arlington Heights and is a current resident. Recently retired, she worked as a medical malpractice insurance underwriter for nearly 20 years. A past president of the MetroLofts Condo Association, she has volunteered for a variety of organizations. JoAnne loves working on DIY home projects like laying penny floors, stenciling walls or building sliding doors, and remembers visiting the library on Belmont Avenue where her love of reading and creativity first began.
Mimi Cooper
Miriam (Mimi) Cooper is the founder of the Law Office of Miriam Cooper & Associates, LLC. She is a former Township High School 214 Educational Foundation trustee and was a District 214 board member from 1989 to 2017.
Sharon Johlie
Sharon Johlie grew up in Arlington Heights and has lived here for over 50 years. Sharon has a background in education and has worked as an elementary and middle school teacher. She recently retired from her position as a teacher's assistant in Arlington Heights School District 25. Sharon has been active in many Arlington Heights organizations including Arlington Heights Junior Women’s Club, St. James Parish, Olive, Thomas and Hersey PTAs and she was the chairperson of the Arlington Heights Council of PTAs Scholarship Committee.
Annie McCarte
Annie is a 10-year Arlington Heights resident and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. She has twenty years of experience working alongside Chicago-area executives as a retirement actuarial consultant. A lifelong reader, Annie credits the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, with its vast collections and services, for helping her two young daughters grow into bookworms themselves. Annie has advocated for the interests of children and education by serving in
various roles in local organizations like the Olive Mary Stitt PTA and Moms Demand Action. She is honored to continue serving this community.
Gary McClung
Gary McClung retired in 2014 after a 40-year career that included compensation and benefit consulting, human resource management, retirement planning and financial counseling. He served on the Arlington Heights Industrial and Commercial Development Commission and as a board member of the Arlington Heights Police Pension Fund, First Presbyterian Church and the Metropolis Performing Arts Center. He lives in Arlington Heights.
Carolyn Nopar
Carolyn Nopar is a long-time resident of Arlington Heights and has recently retired from a marketing and nonprofit fundraising career. She served as Chief Development Officer for the YWCA Metro Chicago and Director of Development & Communications for Family Focus. In 2016, she created the Chicago Fundraising Accelerator, a consulting business for the nonprofit sector. Carolyn has been active in the community, serving on the Dryden School PTA and Arlington Heights Junior Women’s Club. She currently sits on the Board of Viator House of Hospitality.
Renee Schwingbeck
Renee Schwingbeck is a 35 year resident of Arlington Heights. She has an MBA from the University of Chicago with a concentration in Accountancy and an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois, majoring in Finance. Her business background includes financial services as well as operations management at various companies within Sears Financial Services. She utilizes these skills in various levels of leadership in several organizations in Arlington Heights including PTA President and Treasurer for Dryden School, President and Treasurer of her PEO Chapter and a a committee chair for the
Budget and Finance Committee for PEO Illinois. Renee is committed to serving the community and has chaired various events throughout her residency in Arlington Heights; her passion is event planning and enjoys hosting various gatherings at her home.
