Learn more about Terri and make your plan to vote.
"I’ll be an open-minded, engaged board member who will listen and serve the whole community."
Why I'm running
My vision for Mt. Prospect
I want Mt. Prospect to be a welcoming and inclusive community, a suburban leader providing excellent services, thriving development, and cost-effective sustainability.
I will work to...
- Actively engage and listen to residents
- Improve fiscal responsibility and transparency
- Advance successful and innovative development to draw people to MP
- Support more comprehensive services for seniors
- Create a Sustainability Committee to protect MP natural resources for our families and children.
What I bring to this role:
“Throughout my career I’ve brought different groups of people together — individuals, corporations, small businesses and community groups — to successfully deliver public service programs. This requires listening to all stakeholders. As a village trustee, the stakeholders are just as wide and varied, ranging from residents and schools to businesses and churches. I believe listening with an open mind is one area the village board can improve and I can bring valuable experience in this area.”
More about Terri
Personal background
Born into a large Polish family and raised on the Northwest side of Chicago, Terri has lived in Mount Prospect for 18 years. Raising her family here — her oldest is in college and youngest is in high school — she appreciates the excellent education and family community. Terri was raised with a strong service ethic. She has spent her career working for nonprofits and is dedicated to serving the community. Her grandparents emigrated from Poland and struggled to put food on their table; her mother worked in a factory to help support the family instead of attending high school. As a working mom, Terri understands the demands of taking care of older parents while raising a family and balancing a career. It’s why she is a strong advocate for working families, children and seniors.
Professional experience
Terri has a Certified Fundraising Executive Certification (CFRE), a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University and a Master of Fine Arts from UCLA. As a career professional for 23 years, she’s worked at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois for the last 15 years, one of the largest statewide organizations providing social services, where she serves as senior director of Development. In her role, she has raised millions of dollars to fund programs focused on foster care, addiction, mental illness and senior services. Her expertise includes major gifts, planned giving, annual giving and large campaigns/special events. She’s also directed fundraising plans for the Association of Nurse Anesthetists Foundation and Resurrection Medical Center.
Over the course of her career, Terri has also worked with different boards. She understands board governance and the responsibilities boards have to their organizations/members — experience that will serve her well as a trustee.
Volunteer/board experience
Terri currently serves as a trustee for the Mount Prospect Library Board, a position she was first appointed to and then elected to by village residents. Through this role, she has engaged with the community about the library services and resources available, and understands how to make hard decisions with taxpayer money. As a parent, she has volunteered countless hours at our local schools, including as a Girl Scout leader for four years and Prospect High School Marching Band parent for five. She’s also a member of the League of Women Voters and a member of St. Raymond de Penafort Church.
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