About Us
- Gisele Hamm, Program Manager
- Gisele earned a B.S. in Agricultural Business and a M.A. in Economics from Western Illinois University. She joined the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs in 2003 to manage a study of brownfields in Illinois municipalities, and has published serveral articles in state and national outslets. She also worked as a rural technology specialist in the Rural Information Planning Project (RITPP), and managed the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI), and AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program.
- Linda Lee Blaine, Community and Economic Development Outreach Specialist
- Linda Lee, a Washington State native, earned a B.A. in Spanish from Central Washington University in 1998. She also graduated from the William O'Douglas Honors College program in the development of western thought at CWU. She received an MBA through the Peace Corps Fellows Program in Community Development from Western Illinois University in 2004. Prior to coming to the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, Linda Lee worked as a Community and Economic Development Program Coordinator for the University of Illinois Extension. Linda Lee brings with her experience in grant writing and administration, project development and management, consensus building, as well as marketing and communications skills.
- Cathy St.George, Community Outreach Assistant
- Cathy earned a B.A. in Political Science from Western Illinois University in 2004. She joined the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs in 2010 and prior to that served as a Community and Economic Development Coordinator for University of Illinois Extension. Cathy brings with her experience in marketing, communications, and project management.
