Heartland Community College District 540 Board of Trustees

Term ends: 2025

Email: jeff.flessner@heartland.edu

Jeff Flessner is a graduate of Illinois State University earning a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Insurance. After graduating, Jeff started his professional career as a sales representative for Lincoln Financial Group. After five years with Lincoln, he went to work for a local insurance brokerage firm and within two years became a Vice President and Partner. In April of 1999, Jeff started Benefit Planning Associates along with 3 other partners and served as President from 1999 through 2012.

Jeff has written articles for local publications related to healthcare and health insurance, as well as given a number of presentations on the subject. Jeff is very active in the Bloomington-Normal area serving on various boards and working with service organizations. Jeff lives in Normal with his wife, Cindy, and has three grown children, two of whom attended HCC. He has served on the HCC Board since being elected in 2013.

Term ends: 2025

Email: Janet.Hood@heartland.edu 

Janet Hood was selected to fill a vacancy on the HCC Board of Trustees in 2017. She won election in 2019. She completed mandatory trustee training in 2017, 2019, and 2021. In 2020, Janet was elected Vice Chair of the Board. She served on the Finance Committee from 2017-2022 and was appointed committee chair in 2020. Janet also served as a member of the HCC Presidential Search Committees in 2009-2010 and 2017-2018 and President of the HCC Alumni Association from 2012-2014. She serves the Illinois Community College Trustees Association in several roles, including East Central Region Chair (2021-present) Diversity Committee (2020-present) and Awards Committee (2021-present; Vice Chair 2022-2023). 

Janet, a longtime resident of Normal, has worked for several health care organizations in central Illinois. She received an AA Degree from Heartland Community College, a BS in Organizational Leadership from Eureka College, Eureka, IL, and an MBA with an emphasis in Health Care Management from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, IN. She is an American College of Health Care Executives Fellow. Janet’s current community involvement includes the Eureka College Alumni Board of Directors and several other area and statewide boards and committees.  

Term ends: 2027

Email: Rebecca.Ropp@heartland.edu
Social Media: LinkedIn 

Becky graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Communications. She earned her MBA with an emphasis in Marketing from Illinois State University. Becky started her career at GROWMARK first as an intern in the Corporate Communications area then full time in the Marketing Communications area as an Advertising Coordinator. Later Becky became the Director of Organization and System Development division and just recently she was named the Director of Talent Management for GROWMARK, Inc.

In her personal life, Becky is in partnership with her husband Ken, their daughter Leah, and her in-laws Ray and Carol Ropp in their dairy farm and cheese manufacturing and marketing LLC named Ropp Jersey Cheese. She has served on the HCC Board since being appointed in 2014. Becky completed 4 hours of Leadership Training in 2021.

Term ends: 2029

Email: Mary.Campbell@heartland.edu

Mary Campbell was elected to the HCC Board of Trustees in 2017.  She completed 4 hours of Leadership Training in 2017, 2019 and 2021.  Mary was a faculty member at Illinois State University School of Social Work from 1980-2010. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Ohio University and Masters in Social Work from Ohio State. 

Mary’s current community involvement includes:  Co-Director of Dreams Are Possible (2019-), LAMU Kenya Health Care Board (2013-), Multi- Cultural Leadership Project (Volunteer/Mentor/ Team Liaison) (2014-), Certified Master Naturalist through U of I Extension (2011-), and Center of Hope Food Pantry Volunteer (2014-).

Mary has received numerous community and university awards including:  WJBC Spirit of McLean County, Outstanding Community Service Award , MCLP Volunteer Service Award, McLean County Bar Association, Service Award, Town of Normal Dr. Martin Luther King Award, YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, Citizen Advocate of the Year, Mental Health Association, McLean County, Outstanding University Teacher, Outstanding College of Arts and Science Teacher, Social Worker of the Year, State of Illinois, and Outstanding University Service Award for Faculty.

Term ends: 2027

Email: Josh.Crockett@heartland.edu

Mr. Crockett was elected in 2021. 

Term ends: 2029

Email: Cecelia.Long@heartland.edu

Cecelia was elected to the Board in 2021 to finish the 2-year term left vacant by the passing of Gregg Chadwick. She worked at Heartland as a program developer to increase services and support to marginalized students and students in crises. In 2017, she helped Student Support Services launch a life coaching program to support high-risk students. During the pandemic in 2020, she worked with College administration to set up a crisis intake process and student emergency fund to help students struggling with barriers created by COVID-19.

Cecelia is a community college alumna, graduating with with an A.S. in environmental sustainability. She also earned a B.S. in Intercultural & Interpersonal Communication and M.S. in Communication from Illinois State University, with a focus on poverty studies, community well-being, and collaborative leadership.

Cecelia has served close to a decade in social services, working directly with a diversity of people in the area including in Unit 5 and District 87 school systems, in mental health and crisis response, homeless services and housing issues, and with students at Heartland and Illinois State University. She is committed to advocating for students' and community members' unmet needs and uplifting their stories of struggle and achievement to better inform board decisions. Cecelia completed 4 hours of Leadership Training in 2021.

Term ends: 2025

Email: Thomas.Whitt@heartland.edu

Thomas Whitt was elected to the Board in 2019. He completed 4 hours of Leadership Training in 2019 and 2021. He is a graduate of Michigan State University with a BA in Political Science and also earned an Associate's Degree in Radiologic Technology from Lake Michigan College (Benton Harbor, MI.) Residing in Bloomington with his wife, Rachel and daughter Ramona, Thomas is a CT Technologist at OSF St. Joseph Hospital.

Term ends: March 2024

Email:  Andria.Merkle@heartland.edu 

Andria Merkle will be graduating in 2024, and is pursuing an Associate in Arts degree with a focus in Political Science. Andria is from Bloomington, Illinois, and graduated from Normal Community High School in 2022.

She uses her time to serve the people in the community who are less fortunate.  In 2022, Andria volunteered her time in the Law Library of the McLean County Courthouse where she helped those who were self-representing. In her first year at Heartland, she raised over $3,000 in donations for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Andria has received the Gregg Chadwick Student Service Scholarship from both Heartland Community College and the Illinois Community College Trustees Association.

Andria has made being involved one of her top priorities by having multiple leadership roles. Andria was a Co-president of The Political Science Club, Treasurer of Phi Theta Kappa, and a member of Heartland Community and Family Relations.

After graduating from Heartland Community College, Andria plans to transfer to a 4-year university to study Political Science.

Andria believes that a person’s voice has the power to make a difference in the decision-making process. She has lobbied at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield and eventually at the U.S. Capital in Washington D.C. on behalf of both Illinois People’s Action and Illinois Community College Trustees Association.

Andria is devoted to giving the students of Heartland Community College a voice in the decision-making process. She will represent the student body with honor, and make certain that the decisions made are in the best interest of the students.